When it rains: Well, you know
by dHALL
Summary: A record breaking rainfall.A vicious vehicular assault.Two cars in the water.A terrifying situation for our favorite federal agent & his genius brother.But who was the real target? In the aftermath of the accident,can the team find out in time? COMPLETE
1. The Victory Boulevard Bridge

**When it rains…well, you know.  
**  
By dHALL

A record breaking rainfall. A vicious vehicular assault. Two cars in the water.

A terrifying situation for our favorite federal agent and his genius brother.

But who was the real target? And in the aftermath of the accident, can the team find out in time?  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Chapter One: The Victory Boulevard Bridge  
**  
"Is it ever gonna stop raining?"  
Don Eppes increased the speed on the windshield wipers and glanced at his brother. Charlie was staring out the passenger window, enthralled by the trails of rain that were streaking patterns across the glass.

In lieu of Charlie's silence, Don answered his own question.  
"It'll never stop raining, because we're going for that whole _forty days_, _forty nights _thing."

Charlie tore his attention away from the window and turned to give Don a dubious stare.

"Don, it has only been raining for six days. The average rainfall in Los Angeles for the month of March is two point two inches and we have had nine point two inches in less than a week. That is an average of one and a half inches a day. Now that _is _a lot of rain and the ground _is _saturated. But the flood channels are just reaching capacity. It would have to rain in an extreme excess of nine inches a day; over sixty five percent of the earth's surface, to produce a flood of cataclysmic proportions in _only _forty days."

Flipping his headlights on to meet the increasing gloom from the storm, Don cast a glance at Charlie. At the sight of his brother's serious expression, a full grin spread over Don's face.  
"And that's impossible right?"

Charlie's genuinely intense demeanor melted as he recognized the jest in Don's comment. Looking slightly embarrassed, Charlie shrugged his shoulders.  
"No, Don. I would never dare to propose that anything is _truly _impossible. It is, however, highly improbable."

Laughing as he checked his mirrors, Don turned his eyes to the dark clouds on the horizon.  
"No, Charlie. What's highly improbable is that we're gonna make it to the house by eight."

His younger brother leaned back in his seat. Even in the increasing gloom of dusk, Charlie could see the heavier rains across the horizon ahead of them like a dark grey curtain. Grinning he crossed his arms.  
"I don't think Dad will go anywhere without us. Not unless he plans on walking in this mess."

"Since we _are _driving his car, I'd say that is also highly improbable. Unless Amita lets him borrow her car?"

"If you want to talk about improbable?"

Chortling at Don's comment, Charlie redirected his attention to the horizontal patterns of rain on the window.

Pulling his father's four door Acura sedan off of West Alameda Avenue and onto the three mile stretch of Victory Boulevard just north of Griffith Park, Don tapped his breaks to allow a bright metallic blue BMW Sports Wagon to pull into the right lane in front of them. A black full sized pickup truck that had come up fast behind the smaller cars roared past them and Don watched the lighter weight hatchback sway in the air wake of the large truck.

Looking for the Ventura Freeway exit signs in the poring rain, Don could see the lights of Glendale reflecting in the raging currents of the L.A. River.  
"Wow, Charlie. The water looks like it's all the way up to the bridge. Maybe a cataclysmic flood isn't out of the question."

"Don, it's been sixty eight years since that river has exceeded its channels. And except for this portion of the canal that runs toward Glendale, the entire bottom of the waterway was concreted after the last flood so that…………."  
Glancing out the windshield, Charlie cut off his impending string of data.  
"Wow. I've never seen the river like that before."

As if in response to his comments, the rain seemed to get heavier as they descended the hill. Since they were picking up speed, Don decided to pass the hatchback BMW and he moved the sedan into the left lane and put his foot on the accelerator. The headlights of a much larger vehicle shown into his review mirror and Don adjusted it to deflect the glare.  
"Idiot."

A low chuckle from Charlie diverted his attention from the headlights shining in his eyes.

"What? He has his brights on."

"No, Don. He doesn't. The lights on your SUV do the same thing when you're behind someone who is driving a smaller car. It's the location of the headlights in correlation with the height of the review mirror. It lines up and creates a perfectly parallel beam of light. It makes it appear much brighter than an average headlight."

Disregarding Charlie's comment; Don took his foot off the accelerator, letting the car fall back, until he was side by side with the blue car in the right lane.

"What are you doing Don? He wants to go around."  
Charlie looked nervously over his shoulder at the bright lights of the larger vehicle that was coming up fast behind them.

"He's driving to fast for the conditions and I am not going to exceed the speed limit to get around this car any faster."  
Diverting his eyes to the driver of the blue BMW next to them, Don gave the young woman a friendly nod. She cast a glance in his direction, but the look of apprehension on her face made Don rethink his strategy as the larger vehicle approached from behind. The juvenile driver's hands were clinched tightly on the wheel and with a second glance Don was able to ponder a guess as to the reason for her nervous state. Or reasons; as it were. Three small children were seated in the back of the car, the smallest still in a baby seat.

"I think I had that same look on my face the first time Dad let me drive the car with _you _in it."

Glancing at the driver in the car next to them, Charlie couldn't help but laugh.  
"I can't imagine _you_ ever looking _that_ scared."

Don shook his head and smiled as a distant memory played across his mind.  
"You were eleven and I was petrified. The threats of a protective parent stay with you, Charlie."

The taillights of the black pickup truck that passed them earlier loomed ahead of them and Don tapped his break again.  
"See, that guy slowed down and he was flying at least he's……"

When Don stopped talking mid sentence, Charlie twisted his head to see what had his attention. As he turned to look at his brother, Charlie noticed that the dark Chevy Tahoe behind them was riding the line that runs between the lanes. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, bright red lights on the back of the pick up truck shone vibrantly in the rain.

"What the……"

That was all Charlie got out of his mouth before Don's own shout cut him off.

"He just put it in reverse!"

Instinctually, Don hit his brakes; as did the driver of the blue car. But the driver of the Tahoe did not and it slammed, full speed, into the back of both vehicles almost simultaneously.

Charlie's head snapped forward as the impact thrust both cars ahead. When his head came back up against the seat he could see the black truck was now running in full reverse directly toward them.

Don turned to Charlie and their eyes met.  
"Hold on."

The impact with the bed of the truck knocked the smaller sedan back into the suburban behind them, and the passengers of both cars were jerked around like rag dolls as the two trucks pushed them across the bridge.

Before the conscious thought of Who? or Why? could pass through his mind, Don caught sight of the unfortunate young woman in the driver's seat of the other car. Her head was slumped against her chest and as the pickup truck hit the gas, the back of the blue car hopped the guard rail and tilted over the edge of the bridge.

Glancing up at the dark SUV looming over them, Don tried to get a look at the driver. But the windows on both vehicles were darkly tinted and all he could see was what appeared to be a man with a ball cap on.

The driver put the suburban in reverse and for a moment, Don thought they were going to pull away. But instead, the heavy vehicle accelerated once more and again slammed into the side of the four door sedan. As they collided with the blue car, it lost its fight to stay balanced and the railing crumbled sending the hatchback wagon over the edge.

As the driver of the suburban kept his foot of the gas, forcing them towards the edge of the bridge as well, Don tried to imagine who he had managed to piss off this badly.

"Don?"

Don turned his head to see Charlie staring at him wide eyed.  
The terror and uncertainty in his younger brother's voice sent a chill down his spine. As the front of the car tipped over the edge of the bridge, Don caught sight of the churning brown water below them. Trying to keep the fear out of his own voice, Don reached over and grabbed his brother's arm.

"Hang on, Charlie."

One more burst of gas from the vehicle behind them, and the four door sedan followed the other car into the raging floodwaters of the LA River.

_Authors Notes: KICK OFF! Due to the joy that is college football and my current responsibilities thereof, I truly doubt I will be able to post daily. Not that I won't try...but my real world obligations have grown considerably. As it turns out I work for a sports radio station and they seem to have noticed that I'm an audio engineer. _

I also loathe football with a passion.

Nevertheless I wanted to get this one started.

_Hope you approve and that each chapter will be worth a little extra wait!_

_D_


	2. Keep Your Head Above the Water

**Chapter Two: Keep Your Head Above the Water**

The car hit the water nose first and the impact was like a head-on collision with a brick wall. The windshield cracked on impact and Don felt his head slam into something solid. The water immediately grabbed the car and it traveled for several feet in its vertical position until it slammed into the cluster of trees that grew in the center of the canal.

As water began to rise up into the cab, Don blinked his eyes rapidly trying to clear his head. Amazed that he had managed to remain conscious, Don lifted his hand to feel the place where his head had collided with the steering wheel. Pulling his hand back, he wasn't surprised to find blood on his fingers.

"Charlie?"

Turning to his brother, Don was dismayed to see that Charlie was hanging limply from his seatbelt. With the car in a vertical position, nose down in the water, it was angled slightly to the right and Charlie's face was already partially submerged. Without hesitation, Don un-clicked his seatbelt and fell onto the steering wheel. Even up against the tree, the force of the current was pushing the car further and further under and the water was rising fast enough that Don could see the line outside the closed windows. Finding the dash with his knees, Don clambered over to the passenger side and grabbed his brother's body. Pushing Charlie's head up against the back of the seat, Don managed to get his face out of the water. As Charlie sputtered and coughed, he began scrambling frantically for his own seatbelt before he even opened his eyes.

"Whoa! Hey!"  
With one knee on the gearshift and the other on the face of the car stereo Don grabbed Charlie with both hands.

Charlie's eyes flew open and the panic was instantaneous. He sucked in a deep breath.  
"Oh, God."

The water was rising so rapidly that Don's face was almost directly in front of Charlie's in the water. Still holding Charlie's shoulders up to the back of the seat, so his face would stay out of the water, Don readjusted his grip.  
"We need to get your seatbelt off."

"Oh, God. Don?"

Charlie's voice was still groggy but it openly displayed absolute fear and Don fought to keep his own panic from showing.

"Can you reach your seatbelt?"

It took him a second to respond through the terror that was coursing through him, but Charlie shook his head.  
"Yes…."

The water had covered Charlie's legs and it was lapping against his chest when his shaking hands finally found the seatbelt. As he released the clasp, he fell forward into the water. Don tried to slow him down, but his body weight caused them both to slide beneath the rising river. Don's feet found the windshield first and he pushed off back toward the surface. His head emerged between the car's seats and he realized again how quickly they were sinking when he saw that the front seats were already submerged. He turned and grabbed Charlie by the collar pulling his head out of the water next to him. His younger brother sputtered and coughed again. Don pushed himself toward that backdoor of the car.

"We've got to open one of these windows and get out of here."

Bobbing in the water next to him, Charlie looked at him as if that were the most ludicrous notion he had ever heard.  
"Don, Dad's windows are electric….and that will make the water come in faster."

As Charlie lost his footing on the dash and slid under the water again, the full realization that they had precious seconds left hit Don like a ton of bricks. Pulling Charlie back up next to him, he reached under his jacket and pulled his service weapon out of its holster.  
"Cover your eyes."

Charlie turned his head away and Don quickly brought the 9mm up and emptied the clip into the rear window of the car. The shatterproof glass broke into large pieces and rained down on top of them in chunks.

His ears were ringing from the gunshots and Charlie was shocked when Don simply dropped the gun into the water, unwilling to take the extra time to return it to its holster.  
"Don?"

"Get up there, Charlie."  
Using the backs of the front seats, his older brother boosted him towards the sky. The rain was now coming in through the back of the car and pelting off of their faces. Charlie grabbed the edge of the window frame and pulled himself out, scaling the trunk. The water was splashing up over the back of the car now and Charlie grabbed a branch from the tree they were resting against. Another surge of flood water suddenly shifted the car and Charlie lost his balance, almost falling off his perch.

"Don, the car is moving!"

Watching Don struggle to get out of the hole where the rear window had been, Charlie leaned out over the bumper and extended his hand toward his older brother. Just as he locked wrists with Don, another surge of floodwater hit the car. As the water twisted the vehicle out from under Charlie's feet, he wrapped his left arm around the tree branch next to him. He suddenly found himself hanging from the branch, his feet dangling in the air. Don's full weight jerked hard on his right wrist and Charlie was sure he felt something snap. Pain shot up his arm and into his shoulder, but Charlie forced himself to tighten his grip on Don's hand. The lower half of his older brother's body submerged in the fierce current and the water started its fight to pull him under.

"Whoa! Charlie?"

From the expression of pain on his younger sibling's face, Don was uncertain if Charlie would be able to hold him without falling into the water himself. But after a few seconds he answered him through gritted teeth.

"I've got you…..Don. Get your…..grab something!"

The force of the water slammed them both into the tree and Charlie grunted with the effort of hanging onto Don while he searched for a branch to grab on to.

Finding a limb that would hold his weight, Don pulled himself out of the river. Once he knew the water wasn't going to carry them both downstream, Don let go of Charlie's wrist and lifted his eyes to the Victory Boulevard Bridge. The suburban and the black pickup truck were gone and there were no signs of any other cars.

The other car.

Don turned back to Charlie and it seemed that they both realized at the same moment that the blue hatchback was somewhere in this river too.  
There was a glare off the river from the lights at Glendale and about 800 yards downstream the cars passing on the Highway Five bridge cast an occasional burst of light off of the water. Don looked around, trying to find the other car or any sign of its occupants.

"I don't see it. Charlie?"

Brushing his wet hair from his eyes, Charlie scanned the surface; equations and calculations running through his head. From the place where the railing had been bent over and peeled from the bridge to the place where their own, lighter car had come to rest…..then guessing at the velocity of the current, Charlie quickly came up with an estimated location and turned his eyes to the trees just to the right and slightly behind them.

"There."

"Charlie, I don't see……"

Trying to keep as much of his body out of the water as possible and using the branches of the tight cluster of trees as anchors against the current, Charlie began trying to make his way to the location.

A glint of metal in the midst of green leaves and brown water prompted Don to follow his brother. Just a few feet from where they had climbed from their car, the hatchback was resting…miraculously…on its roof, almost suspended in the trees. The surge of the current had grabbed the car and its momentum had elevated it just enough for the tree branches to hold it above the surface. The very top of the overturned car was submerged, but the lower half of the vehicle was sticking up from the dirty water.

Hoping against hope that someone's parents taught her not to drive unless all of the passengers were buckled in, Don caught up with Charlie and reached out; grabbing the door of the car. Seeing that the rear door had been smashed in the collision, Don moved up to the front. From the car's suspended position, he was able to maintain a hold on the larger tree limb he was using for support as he fought against the current to pull the car door open. The current immediately grabbed the door and wrenched it from his hand. The new object of resistance against the raging water caused the car to shift slightly. But the thick bed of tree branches kept it from following the current downstream.

Casting a glance at Charlie, Don leaned into the car and looked at its passengers.

The young woman who had been driving was hanging upside-down from her seatbelt, unconscious; her blond hair floating in the water around her head. The three children were in the same position. The two girls on the sides were unconscious as well. Only in the center seat, a pair of bright blue eyes stared back at him. The child couldn't have been over a year old, but she was not crying.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Calling up his profession charisma, Don struggled to remove any fear or alarm from his voice.

"We're gonna get you girls out of here, okay?"

The child continued to stare at him, unspeaking.

Turning to his brother, Don tried to gage his ability to assist him. There was a trickle of blood running from Charlie's nose and a goose egg knot was well formed on the right side of his head where he had hit the window on their initial impact with the truck. He was unconsciously cradling his right wrist and Don was going to suggest he stay put, but Charlie didn't give him the chance.  
"I don't think there is anyway around to the other side, Don. I can get up next to the door…"

Don cut him off.  
"I can get into the back of the car…..I'll hand you the kids."

Despite the fact that he had never taken an oath to serve and protect, Charlie's resolve to get these girls to safety was just as strong as his and Don found himself filled with a surge of pride.

Nodding in agreement, Charlie used the limbs around him to get as close to the car door as possible without putting any weight on the vehicle.

Don lowered his body gingerly into the car, sliding himself into the water that was pooled inside the roof of the vehicle. He was being careful, but the change in weight caused the vehicle to shift. They were only a few feet apart now, but the sound of the water rushing over the back of the car was so loud; Don had to yell at Charlie to be heard.  
"If this tree turns us loose…"

Don locked eyes with his younger brother and for a moment the chaos around them slowed to a crawl. Charlie shook his head slowly and Don cut himself off mid sentence. Charlie was not moving from that spot without him and he knew it.

With a quick nod, Don disappeared into the partially submerged car.

****

_Authors Notes: Holy Cow…(and other expressions of amazement.) I am so thrilled to see your comments._

_You totally made my day! I squealed like a little girl when I opened up my email….I was at work and they looked at me funny. But who cares…it was worth it. Thank you, thank you for your feedback and comments! I dare not try to express what that means to me or I'll come off sounding like a nincompoop._

_Why did everyone assume the 'young woman' was the kid's mother? Just wondering…._

_It turns out - she is not…._

_And here is what's next----_

**Chapter Three: The Eppes' Vs. Old Man River**


	3. The Eppeses Vs Old Man River

**Chapter Three: The Eppeses Vs. Old Man River**

After about thirty seconds, Charlie realized he was holding his breath and he released it in a rush. Resisting the urge to climb into the raging water himself and try to get into the car, Charlie settled for leaning as far over as he could from the steadiest branch he could find.

His head was pounding and he was almost certain his wrist had been broken from the sudden jerk of Don's weight when he was wrenched from their car. Assuming he didn't fall into the intense torrent, Charlie was confident that he could do this…...but Don had been bleeding. There was a steady stream of blood on the side of his head, most likely from hitting the steering wheel.

Charlie was about to revert to running the numbers he had read about flood related deaths involving cars when Don's upper body slide back into view. He had unbuckled the entire baby seat and was trying to maneuver it under the front seat and out of the open door.

Lifting the car seat over the raging current and looking for a place to brace his legs for the handoff, Don hoped Charlie was up to this.  
"Keep her out of the water!"

"I'm good, Don. Give her to me."  
His younger brother reached out and grabbed the back of the seat with his left hand and pulled it toward the tree. Once the rain started hitting the child in the face, she began to cry.

Balancing precariously on a thick branch and leaning back into the large tree trunk, Charlie fought to elevate the baby seat with one hand. Pain was shooting up his wrist, so he wrapped his right arm around a limb to brace himself. Somehow, Charlie managed to wedge the seat between two of the larger branches. Casting a glance at the car first, he paused to pull a small blanket out from under the child and pulled it over the top of the car seat to cover her head. Once the water stopped hitting her in the face, the panic in her cries was reduced. Charlie patted her gently on the leg.

"Don't go anywhere, kid."

Just as he turned back towards the car, Don's arms emerged with another child. This one was about five or six. Her blond hair was hanging in limp, wet pig tales and her head lolled against Don's body. Giving up any hope of being gentle, Don grabbed the child's shoulder with one hand and shoved her out the door and into Charlie's waiting arms.

"One more, Charlie…..and I'll try to get the driver on the way out!"  
Don quickly ducked his head back into the car.

Pulling the small child into his arms and leaning back up against the tree trunk again, Charlie noticed a pair of headlights approaching on the road.

A light-colored sedan pulled onto the bridge and came to a stop just in front of the bent railing. Holding the child tightly to his chest with his right arm and bracing himself with his legs, Charlie released his death grip on the tree branch that held the car seat.

"Hey…..HEY!"

Frantically he waved his arm, trying to get the drivers attention. A young man who appeared, from a distance, to be in his late teens or early twenties stepped out of the car.

"HEY! HELP US! WE NEED HELP!"

The boy's eyes found Charlie and he waved back in his direction. He yelled something, but he was upwind and Charlie couldn't hear the words over the roar of the wind and water.

The girl in his arms moved and groaned slightly.

"It's okay, honey. Help is on the way."

He watched the bridge for a moment and as the young man flagged down another car, he breathed an audible sigh of relief. They would call 911 and someone would come to get them out of the water.

Turning his attention back to the suspended BMW, Charlie could see Don just inside the door, struggling to keep his own head above the water. The car was upside down, so there was no where for him to sit the third child while he tried to unbuckle the drivers seatbelt. He was lying in the water between the seats with his legs still in the back of the car. He had the girl resting on his chest, but was having trouble keeping her face out of the water and working the fastening mechanism on the seatbelt at the same time.

He turned to his younger brother, yelling loudly to be heard.

"CHARLIE! I CAN'T GET HER! NEED YOU TO TAKE THE OTHER KID."

Glancing down at the child in his arms, Charlie was surprised to see another set of those same sapphire blue eyes staring at him.

"Sophia?"

The child's simple question brought Charlie a new, stronger determination.

"We're gonna get your sister, Honey. I need you to hold on to this branch, okay? Can you do that?"

The little girl nodded her head automatically, her frightened eyes never leaving his. Lifting the child as high into the tree next to the car seat as he could, Charlie squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Hold on tight, Honey. And don't move."

Tears had welled up in her eyes and she wrapped both arms around the branch, nodding at him.

Turning from the two children, Charlie stepped down, hanging tightly to the trunk until his feet found a solid branch just below the surface of the water. The current was too strong for him to let go, but he was able to use the same branches Don had to work his way closer to the car.

"DON!"

Reaching the edge of the car, Charlie knelt as low as he could on the large tree limb that was supporting the car. Leaning forward, he stuck his head and shoulders through the door.

"Don?"

His older brother was still trying to unbuckle the jammed seatbelt. Stopping, Don lifted the girl back up in his arms and passed her to Charlie.

"Get out of here, Buddy. This car keeps shifting; I don't think it's gonna…."

Before Don could finish his sentence, a surge of floodwater hit the back of the car and knocked it forward. Automatically, Charlie pulled his head back, but he wasn't quite fast enough and the side of the door frame slammed into his head, knocking him and the child into the violent current.

If it hadn't been for the instant rush of cold water in his nostrils, Charlie might have lost consciousness from the blow. When the undertow grabbed him, panic pulled him back into full awareness and Charlie twisted his body around. Instinctually, he struck out with his feet fighting for the surface. Coming into contact with a cluster of branches, Charlie wrapped his legs around them. As he jerked to a stop in the strong current, the water tried to pull the child from his arms. Fighting against the flow, Charlie tightened his grip on the girl. Just as he lost his foot hold on the branches, he grabbed another limb that had brushed against his face and used it to pull his head above the water.

Charlie surfaced, gasping for air.

Trying to keep the child's head above the water as well, he looked frantically around. The next tree trunk was only a few feet away and he released his hold on the bough and grappled for the next one.

Pulling himself _and_ the child up out of the water with his broken arm was an impossible task and finally Charlie gave up. The water was colder than he had realized and after the blow to his head and the ride in the current, Charlie's shoulders had begun to shake violently.

The girl was still unconscious and Charlie wrapped his right arm tightly around her middle. Using his left arm, he maneuvered them up against the tree's trunk and was finally able to pull himself higher into the thick branches.

The girl was out of the water now, but his lower body was still mostly submerged in the frigid water.

"DON!"

Twisting his head around, Charlie looked back upstream. He could see the car seat and the small blond child still perched in the tree where he had left them. The current had carried him and the other little girl about twenty yards further into the trees.

Looking for the small car, Charlie was suddenly struck with a surge of panic as powerful as the water raging around them.

The car and its driver were gone. And so was Don.

………………………………

Authors Notes: I am seeing so many new readers leaving comments! I am so pleased to hear from all of you! Thank you for taking time to read and review! It is much appreciated! (And useful too! I fixed my title. Thanks)

I hope everyone is still enthralled. I'm trying real hard to get one more chapter written around the woes of Football Friday!

_Typing feverishly in an attempt to keep Curtisbrothersfan alive_!

**Chapter Four: Going Under**


	4. Going Under

**Chapter Four: Going Under**

When the flood surge lurched the car forward, Don lost his grip on the seatbelt's buckle and was slung into the back of the vehicle. He heard a sickening thud as Charlie's head hit the edge the door frame. But he could only watch in horror as his brother toppled into the raging water, still holding tightly to the little girl.

"NO! CHARLIE!"

Before Don could even try to get back into the front seat, another swell grabbed the car. It was forcefully torn from the branches that had kept it above the water. As the current carried it quickly downstream, the river began to fill the car. Unable to get back into an semi-upright position, Don quickly found himself submerged in the rising water that filled the interior of the vehicle.

Pulling his head back out of the water, Don could hear the branches of the surrounding trees scraping against the sides of the car. The river was in a terrific battle to push the car through the thick boughs of the trees and Don hoped that the trees were going to win. If they could get caught up among the branches again, he would have a chance of getting them out of this car.

The wooded area in the middle of this portion of the L.A. River was only several hundred yards long and assuming they didn't slam into the pillars of the Highway Five Bridge, it was going to be a long ride to the city with nothing to slow them down. And there would be nothing to stop the car from sinking like a stone in the flood waters.

The water began to rotate the car, tossing Don back into the seat as the car flipped again. When the vehicle came to an abrupt halt, he was slung forward, slamming into the dashboard.

The ride had only lasted a few seconds, but to Don it had felt like an eternity. With stars swimming in front of his eyes from his collision with the dash, Don fought to remain conscious.

In those moments, a myriad of thoughts gallivanted through his mind.

This was his fault.

Whoever had been driving those trucks had intentionally pushed their car off the bridge. They must have been following him since he picked Charlie up at the Magnolia Park Lecture Hall…maybe even before. Why didn't they try to get him before he had picked up Charlie? The other car had just gotten in the way.

And now Charlie was gone and at least one of the children with him.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

The young driver of the other car was still unconscious; with her seatbelt still fastened. He had to get her out of this car….out of this river. This was because of him….…..so he had to try.

Fighting off the haze that was clouding his vision, Don quickly unfastened the girl's seat belt. The car was now right side up, so kneeling in the passenger seat; Don was able to pull her out from under the steering wheel. At this point the water was already reaching her shoulders and it would only be seconds before they would be completely submerged.

The passenger door had closed when the car had executed one of its flips. Using Charlie's logic, Don realized the windows were manual and rather than try to open the door again, Don rolled the window down the old fashioned way. He knew he had a better chance of getting them both out of this if they were free floating in the raging water than if they were trapped inside the submerging vehicle. Pulling his upper body out of the open window, Don climbed out onto the roof of the car. Twisting around on the slippery surface, he reached back into the automobile. Using his legs as an anchor, he hoisted the young woman up next to him.

Looking around, Don could not believe that they were still above the water. He was amazed to find that the car was resting against the trunk of a tree.

The last tree.

As Charlie had said, this was the only portion of the channel that had a natural bottom.

And now his life….this girl's life…..was balanced against the trunk of the _very last tree_.

Even in this instant of pumping adrenaline, overwhelming grief and sheer panic, Don's mind; in an almost Charlie-like fashion, grasped the unlikelihood of such an occurrence.

If only Charlie could have been so fortunate.

Shifting his eyes downriver Don was shocked at the ferocity of the current.

Although the interior was now submerged, the car remained in its unlikely position. Knowing it would not stay there for long, Don moved them across the car to the trunk of the tree.

He hoisted the young woman up over a tree branch and had one arm wrapped around another branch when the tremendous force of the current shifted the vehicle. With his feet still resting on the metal roof of the car, Don pushed upwards trying to clear his legs, but it was too slippery. As the car slid around the tree trunk, Don lost his footing. His left leg slipped between the car and the trunk and before he could attempt to pull his feet up, the raging water pushed the car into the trunk of the tree crushing his ankle between them.

Fighting to maintain his hold on the branch, Don released the air from his lungs in a harsh scream. The pain was excruciating, but the vocalization extended far beyond physical anguish. He felt as it his soul was being crushed along with his ankle. As the car tore itself loose from the trees, Don was almost certain it had taken his foot with it.

The pain left him feeling weak, sick and a little light headed and Don was certain that he would lose his grasp on the branch. From where he was hanging, Don could see the car. He watched as the force of the water completely submerged the vehicle as it crossed under the Highway Five Bridge and began its journey down the canal toward the city.

Tightening his grip on the branch and trying to suppress the intense feeling of loss in his heart, Don frantically searched the trees upstream for any sign of his brother.

"CHARLIE!"

The chances of Charlie having been fully conscious and able to pull himself out of this water were almost non existent, and Don knew it. Nevertheless, the thoughts of Charlie being even semi-consciously aware that he was drowning…..that he way dying made the bile rise in Don's throat and he hoped….No, he prayed, that Charlie never knew what had hit him.

Tearing his thoughts from Charlie and trying to focus on the lives for which he had died trying to save, Don took in his surroundings. He could see that even if he could get back up into the tree, there was nowhere for him to go. They were to far away from the other trees for him to try to make it back up to where Charlie had left the other two children.

Looking down in the raging water, Don knew he could not hold on much longer.

He had prepared himself for the possibility of death long ago. But he had expected a gunfight or a horrible accident during a pursuit…_something _along those lines. In all of the scenarios he had imagined for his own demise drowning had never even entered his mind.

His independent life insurance policy was in his safe deposit box at the Los Angeles National Bank……Of which Charlie was the listed beneficiary. He tried to remember who his lawyer had listed as the secondary beneficiary, but the memory was far too distant. And he had never considered it very important. Everything had been prepared under the assumption that Charlie, at least, would outlive their father….and him too.

The key to the box was in Charlie's safe.

Charlie's safe……….on the floor in his closet. And Charlie was gone.

Don was hanging knee deep in the river and the chill from the cold water had crept up his legs and through his body. He could feel a sensation somewhere in the core of his being that reminded him of something….. Perhaps being exceedingly intoxicated.

But the numbness he felt in his soul made it hard to fight the numbness in his body.

He felt detached from himself and was certain that his nerves would no longer be able to transmit signals from his brain…and if they could, his body would not obey. But he tried anyway. Attempting to pull his legs out of the water proved a useless expenditure of energy, but he did allow himself a glance at his leg.

Much to his surprise his foot was still there.

Right where it should be.

Don's fingers were starting to grow numb and now he recognized the symptoms of shock and hypothermia as his body began to shake.

He couldn't hold on any longer.

The girl was out of the water and he had done all he could.

Maybe it was time to just let go.

A terrified voice above him caught Don off guard and he almost did release his hold on the branch.

"Oh, God. Hold on."

Before he could respond, a hand grabbed a hold of his.

Don lifted his head and his eyes found a tangled mass of blond hair hanging in his face.  
"Hang on, mister. I think I can pull you up."

The young woman he had pulled from the car had regained consciousness and although her shoulders were shaking as badly as his, she somehow managed to lean over the tree limb where he had deposited her and get a good grasp on his arm.

She heaved, trying to pull him out of the water and Don was able to reestablish his grip on the tree branch. After finding a foothold with his good leg and with the young woman's help, Don pulled himself into sitting position on another nearby branch.

The teenager stared in shock at the man who had obviously saved her life. Then her lip started to tremble and her eyes filled with tears.

"The girls….where are the girls?"

Don lifted his hand and rubbed his face. He didn't have the heart to tell her that one of 'the girls' was at the bottom of the river bed somewhere downstream with his own brother and that the two little ones were alone in a tree. He had to concentrate to keep his voice from cracking when he answered her.

"We got them out of the car. They got out."

The chill that was causing her shoulders to quiver was quickly replaced with violent shaking sobs.

Without offering any words of comfort, Don put his arm around the tree trunk and squeezed her hand in what he hoped was a reassuring fashion.

He hadn't exactly lied to her.

They had all gotten out of the car. And there was nothing they could do now. Nothing to do but hold on and wait.

_**Authors Notes: I am sick. **__**I'm running a fever. **__**I'm unpleasant when I run a fever. **_

_**Thank God it's Friday! I'm going to watch Numb3rs now and go to bed. **__**One more week till the start of season three...I'd better write faster. **_

**Chapter Five: For Dear Life**


	5. For Dear Life

**Chapter Five: For Dear Life**

From his awkward location in the tree, Charlie could see the rescue efforts unfolding on the bridge. He wasn't sure if the driver of the car that had stopped first had seen what had happened to them. But the two little girls were still in their original location and surely they could still be seen from the bridge.

The child in his arms remained unmoving and Charlie turned his attention to her small form.

Another blond. Even coated with mud from their dip in the river, she was a beautiful child….perhaps seven or eight years old.

She was breathing rapidly...but steadily, which was more than he could say for himself, and Charlie could find no sign of physical injury other than a small bump on her forehead. The chill from the water was apparent from the bluish tinge her lips had taken and Charlie pulled her as close to his chest as he could without re-submerging her in the water.

Directing his attention back to the bridge, Charlie could see at least four fire trucks and twice as many police cars. Several search lights had been turned on and much to his relief, Charlie could see that they were directed at the two small children that he had left in the tree.

The storm continued to rage around them and the rain grew more intense. Charlie was starting to feel a little confused and he almost forgot why he was hanging from a tree in the middle of a river with a small child in his arms.

The chill from the water was starting to get to him…he couldn't even remember what it was called when the body got too cold. He tried to concentrate on the firemen that had extended their ladder out over the river toward the trees and were trying to reach the two children. But he quickly found himself entranced by the sound the water rushing around him.

Things seemed to be moving in super slow motion and Charlie knew he was only moments from losing consciousness himself.

He couldn't let that happen.

This child's life depended on _him _not allowing that to happen.

Turning to look back down-river, Charlie turned his thoughts to Don. Don could have done this. But he was down there…..somewhere. In that car. At the bottom of the river. And he had died to save the lives of these children and Charlie had to make sure they all made it out of this river.

For Don.

He felt hot tears stinging his eyes and Charlie managed to restrain the sob that was trying to escape from his chest. The dizzying sensation in his head began to grow stronger now and he remembered the glancing blow he had received when the river had dislodged the other car. As white spots began to dance in front of his eyes, Charlie acknowledged that he was going to pass out.

With his last ounce of strength, he boosted the child up as far above the water as he could, but he was unable to get more than her legs over a higher branch. Charlie wrapped himself around the tree and tried to entwine his arms in the vines and branches, successfully securing the child's upper body between himself and the tree. His arms were growing weak and now his shoulders were shaking so violently he wasn't sure he could have held on much longer even if he were able to maintain consciousness.

As his vision was reduced to dark tunnels, Charlie tried to keep his eyes on the child. But combined with his grief, the wooziness and nausea was more than he could take and he allowed his eyes to close.

"HEY! THE LITTLE GIRL WAS RIGHT! THERE ARE TWO MORE OVER HERE!"

Charlie heard the voice, but when he opened his eyes the bright beam of a flashlight forced him to snap them shut again.

"Hey, Pal. It's alright now. You can let the kid go."

It wasn't pouring down rain like it had been, but there was a still a steady drizzle. For a fleeting moment Charlie wondered how much time had passed as the sound of the rushing water all around them immediately brought the reality of his situation back into focus.

Another voice spoke up.

"That's right, man. We've got her."

When he forced his eyes open again, Charlie could see two men hovering in front of him. Both were wearing bright orange vests and appeared to be suspended over the water. It took Charlie's sluggish mind a moment to comprehend that they were standing in a boat.

One of the men gently peeled the young girl from his arms.

He had told his mind to tell his arms to let go, but they weren't listening.

"Come on, fella. Let's get you outta here. There are two little girls on that bridge that are gonna be mighty happy to see the both of you."

Charlie closed his eyes again as he felt strong hands on his shoulders, while someone else untangled his arms from the vines on the tree.

He began to phase out again until the grip on his shoulders tightened; pulling him up out of the water, off the tree limb and into the boat.

"I think he's in shock."

"Hypothermia. This water's pretty cold."

"Hey, Pal. Are you still with us?"

With what felt like an almost super human effort Charlie found his voice.

"Uh, huh."

"Mister? What's your name? Can you tell me your name?"

One of the men pulled a blanket around his shoulders, as the other wrapped the child up and sat next to him in the boat.

"Cccalll……F…F...B...I. Please."

The two men looked at each other, puzzled by his request.

Charlie was astonished at how shaky and unsteady his voice was. In fact his whole body was shaking uncontrollably and his teeth where chattering so hard, he thought they might actually break.

But he had to tell them.

He had to tell them Don was gone.

He'd have to tell his father.

"Epp…..Eppes……Ch…Ch…Charlie. P..please…. Cccall…."

The man closest to him put a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, fella. We'll take care of it. Just relax."

"That's right. Just hang in there, Charlie."

Trying to control the shivering that permeated his body seemed to be a mute point and without consciously deciding to do so, Charlie found himself curled up on the bench with his arms wrapped around his legs in a fetal position. His whole body was starting to feel numb. Blissfully numb.

He felt someone grab him under the arms. Another pair of hands grabbed his legs and lifted him out of the boat and onto something hard.

A bright light was again shining in his face, so he didn't even try to open his eyes. But someone peeled one of them open for him anyway, shining the light in.

"Pupils are responsive. "

He felt someone grab his arm and heard a distinct ripping sound as someone tore his wet sleeve.

He was in the hands of the EMT's.

The voices of the two men from the boat began shouting over the sound of the rushing water.

"He was still in the water, but he kept the girl out."

"Here, take her up to the other ambulance. She was in the water at some point."

"He's hypothermic and not making much sense. Said his name is Charlie Eppes."

The other man's voice cut through the haze in Charlie's mind.

"He told us to call the FBI."

"The Feds, huh? Well, hell."

Another voice - maybe a policeman.

"Where ya taking 'em."

A woman's voice, close to his head spoke up.

"St. Josephs. It's the closest."

Charlie felt a stabbing pain in his wrist as someone grabbed his arm and a moan unconsciously escaped his lips.

"I think his arm's broken. But I've still got a radial pulse."

The police officers continued their conversation over the two EMT's that were hovering over him.

"I'll make the call. Jake - follow 'em in. If he wants the Feds we'd better say close."

"Got it, Lieutenant."

Charlie tried to keep up with both conversations, but his mind felt full of cobwebs.

"What's his temp?"

"Ninety two point eight."

"Looks like we've got a significant head injury too."

He felt something sharp poke him in the arm. They were putting in an IV.

"This was a close one. We'd better move him out."

Charlie felt his body being lifted again, only this time he remained flat. He was laying on something…perhaps a backboard. He could hear heavy breathing as those around him struggled to carry him from the waters edge up to the roadway.

Jake spoke again, this time his voice a little softer.

"The kids?"

The woman answered.

"I think the first two we pulled out are gonna to be fine. The baby was never even submerged, her temp is almost normal. But get this…..the girl says her name is Hannah Whitney."

"Whitney? As in Robert Whitney? As in Sullivan, Hastings and Whitney?"

"That's the one. Paul just left with the kids in unit one. And Harvey is trying to reach the parents. The girl claims this guy saved their lives. Him and another guy. But the water took the car before the other one got out. Says their nanny was in the car too."

"Poor kid. She saw all of that?"

There was a moment of silence around him. Charlie wanted to open his eyes. He wanted to open his mouth and tell them who he was and who Don was and what had happened. But his vocal cords wouldn't obey.

"The search teams are still looking. The cars should get tangled up around the Los Feliz Bridge if Highway Five didn't get 'em."

The woman spoke again, yelling at someone further away than Jake.

"Okay! We're good to go. Peterson has the other kid."

She spoke again, more softly.

"Let me know what the FBI can tell you about this guy. I'm curious."

"Right behind you, Karen. I'll see you at Saint Joes."

Charlie felt the drizzle of rain on his face dissipate and the sudden noise of two doors slamming almost in succession led him to believe he was now in the back of the ambulance.

"His temp's holding just under ninety three. Borderline Severe Hypothermia. Possible concussion. His name's Charlie."

"Charlie? Can you open your eyes?"

"He was conscious when they pulled them out…talked to Jim in the boat."

Charlie tried to stay focused on the voices around him. He even tried to open his eyes again. But he seemed to be drifting farther and farther away from the sound.

"Charlie. Open your eyes, man. Can you still hear me?"

He heard the driver gun the engine of the ambulance.

"He's non-responsive. Pulse….eight six, and steady."

"I'll call it in."

The constant throb in his head started to coincide with waves of nausea and Charlie could still hear the voices around him, but they sounded like they were coming from inside a vibrating drum.

He made a cognizant effort now to shut them out, despite the knowledge that he should try to stay awake.

"They're Robert Whitney's kids, huh?"

"How much you wanna bet this wasn't an accident?"

"No bet, Karen. No bet."

The siren faded as did the voices around him and Charlie allowed himself to sink into a blissfully quiet void.

………………………………

_Authors Notes: Thanks for all of the well wishes. Fever has dropped…I haven't injured myself or anyone around me and I am again thinking lucidly. Or as lucidly as I am capable of. My husband sat up my armchair in front of the computer. And life is good!_

_Please continue to comment when you can. Your thoughts on the story are very much appreciated. I'll try to get another chapter up this weekend!_

**Chapter Six: Who Said Lightning Never Strikes Twice?**


	6. Who Said Lightning Never Strikes Twice?

**Chapter Six: Who Said Lightning Never Strikes Twice?**

"Well, they're certainly late. Aren't they?"

Alan Eppes looked at his watch, and then lifted his eyes to the clock on the wall.

"Yes, they are. I thought you'd be used to that by now."

"You never 'get used' to Charlie, Mr. Eppes."

Turning to look at the young woman in his dining room, Alan gave Amita Ramajuan a warm smile.

"No, I suppose not. And it's Alan. Please. But that's what I get for letting Don take my car to go pick him up. More likely than not, they stopped off at the office."

"Still, he has a cell phone, and if the lecture went over……."

Amita stopped herself as she realized just _who _she was about to vent to about Charlie.

"We really didn't raise him to be grotesquely inconsiderate, Amita. The trend evolved as he got older."

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Amita turned back to the lap top computer she had set up on the table.

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget the way his mind works."

Walking to the table, Alan took a seat across from the raven haired young woman.

"Being a genius is no excuse for neglecting a relationship."

For a minute Amita remained silent, staring at the computer screen and wondering how much Charlie had talked about their relationship….or lack thereof….with his father. Maybe that was a good sign. When she lifted her eyes from the screen, she gave Alan a pleasant smile.

"Speaking of which….shouldn't you call your date and let her know you'll be late?"

"Oh….OH. Yeah. I suppose that _would _be the polite thing to do."

Alan pulled himself back to his feet and walked into the kitchen. Plucking the cordless phone from the wall, he stepped back into the dining room and smiled broadly.

"Well, I guess he _does _come by it honestly after all."

Before Alan could hit the speed dial button for Donna's number, the phone rang.

Glancing at the number on the caller ID, Alan laughed.

"See, Amita. What did I say? Did I not tell you they'd be at the office?"

"Hello."

Still grinning and fully expecting a comedic exchange between father and son, Amita couldn't help but lift her eyes. But she didn't expect the expression of distress that was instantly written across Alan's face and she felt her heart rate increase as the possible implications of such a phone call flashed through her mind.

"David?"

"When?"

"Yes. He was. He took my car to pick up…..

"Are they….?"

"Where?"

There was an extended silence as Alan listened to whatever David had to say. From the look on his face, Amita suddenly knew neither Charlie _nor _Don would be coming back to the house tonight.

Jumping to her feet, she pulled her jacket from the back of the chair and dug her keys from her pocket.

Alan lifted his eyes and nodded at her, his brow furrowed intently as he listened to David speak.

"No. I've got a ride."

"Saint Joseph's in Burbank."

"Amita and I will meet you there."

When he hung up the phone, and stood next the table without speaking; Amita had to resist the urge to grab his shoulders and demand he tell her what had happened to Charlie. Somehow she knew better than to ask.

Alan had two sons, after all.

Sloughing off an inexpressible fear that she had never experienced before, she took the phone from his hand and tossed it on the table. Grabbing her umbrella from the hallway, she led Alan out the door to her car.

……………………………

David hung up the phone and turned his eyes to Colby's anxious face.

"Amita is with him. They're on their way."

Colby circled the desk and stopped in front of David.

"You're sure it's Charlie? They're absolutely sure?"

"Lieutenant Seymour said Charlie Eppes. I only know of one."

Pulling his jacket on, David headed for the elevator doors.

"No wallet, but the description was right on. It's Charlie."

"And Don?"

"Yeah. Alan said Don was driving. And the little girl said Charlie and another guy with short dark hair….That's all I know, Granger. I was on my way out the door when dispatch put the call through."

Colby by-passed the elevator and headed for the stairs.

"What about Megan?"

"I already called her. She and Larry were at that new sushi place on Sunset, so she's heading straight to Saint Josephs. She'll get there before we do."

Bounding down the stairs after Colby, David checked his watch.

It had been almost an hour since the 911 call had been made that had resulted in the rescue of three little girls and a renowned mathematician; who also happened to be a bureau consultant and a personal friend. The search and rescue teams on the scene were assuming that if 'the other guy' had been in that car with the Whitney family's nanny, they'd be pulling two bodies out of that river.

As they reached his copper sedan, Colby stopped and turned to David.

"They think Don's dead, don't they?"

David nodded solemnly and they both climbed into the car.

"Where are we going, then?"

"Where do you think?"

Colby started the car and headed for the Victory Boulevard Bridge.

………………………………

Authors Notes: Hey! So glad to see you all are enjoying this so much! Thanks for the encouraging comments and the helpful feedback! Short Chapter, I know...but I'm going to go figure out how to get Don out of the river now…..that's the plan anyway.

**Chapter Seven: Rushing, Rising Rivulets**


	7. Rushing, Rising Rivulets

**Chapter Seven: Rushing, Rising Rivulets**

When Colby stepped onto the bridge, he was taken aback by the number of spotlights that were being directed at the water. The rain had been reduced to a drizzle, but the river was still flowing at flash flood speed under the bridge. A uniformed officer quickly ran out to meet them.

"FBI. Special Agent Granger."

He nodded his head at David.

"This is Special Agent Sinclair."

"Good. Glad you're here. The guy we pulled out with the kids said to call you in. We're all more than a little curious as to why. Did you talk to Lieutenant Seymour?"

Colby looked moderately disgusted by the enthusiasm in the officer's voice.

"Yeah, we talked to your Lieutenant. But don't get your panties in a wad on our account. This isn't what you might think."

Catching up to the pair, David shouldered his way between his partner and the young cop.

"Doctor Charles Eppes is a consultant for the Bureau. Do you have any word on his condition?"

"Last I heard, they've gotten his core body temperature back up a bit, but he hasn't regained consciousness. Looks like he took a pretty nasty knock to the head at some point and spent a lot of time in the water. That's all I know."

The officer almost visibly grimaced at his own words as he watched the melancholy expressions develop on the faces of both agents.

"You know this guy pretty well?"

David and Colby nodded, answering almost simultaneously.

"Yeah."

"We work with him."

The officer led them across the bridge.

"Well, they took him to Saint Josephs….."

Colby cut him off mid sentence.

"Yeah, we know. Have they found the other guy?"

The officer stopped and looked at him suspiciously.

"Why are the feds so interested in this guy? Is he a fugitive? Is he the one responsible for……….."

"He's not a fugitive, you flipping idiot. He's our boss!"

Colby's verbal explosion got the attention of several nearby emergency personnel.

David shot Colby a warning look and turned to the flabbergasted rookie.

"We just need to know if they've found him yet."

The young officer shook his head.

"No, man. We just got back out on the water. We had to wait for the wind to slack off again. We couldn't keep the boats under control…..they kept slamming into the trees."

Before David could comment that he didn't give a rats ass about their boats, a loud shout from somewhere nearby turned all three men's heads toward the water.

"HEY!"

"HEY! WE'VE GOT 'EM!"

Both agents rushed to the railing. About fifty yards downstream, one of the rescue boats was pulling up toward the bridge. They appeared to have two extra passengers wrapped head to toe in blankets. David and Colby exchanged hopeful looks and quickly took off around the railing and down to the water's edge. Emergency personal crowded the shoreline, pulling each mound of blankets out of the boat.

"If you don't give me a damn phone, I swear to God; I'm going to start killing people."

The authoritative, familiar voice was shaking and a little slurred, but it rang out over the roar of the raging water.

"Surely you people carry cell phones?"

An anxious expression plastered on his face, Colby pushed through the crowd that had gathered nearby. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of his boss.

Don's lips were tinged blue and a large gash in his forehead looked as if it should have rendered him unconscious long ago. But he was completely alert despite the injury. His shoulders were shaking violently and he appeared to be in a lot of pain, nevertheless he was fighting hard to get on his feet.

"I need someone to call the FBI!"

Colby turned and gave David a thumbs up…just without the customary ear to ear grin that usually accompanied the gesture, and the other agent nodded in acknowledgement.

"DON!"

At the sound of Colby's voice, Don stopped struggling against the medical personnel.

He didn't need a phone after all.

"Ccccolby? Whwhwhat?"

As soon as he stopped moving, the EMT closest to him grabbed his shoulders and leaned him back onto a stretcher. He stayed in the prone position this time and alarmed the surrounding medical personnel when he suddenly closed his eyes and allowed his body to go slack.

"Mister? Hey!"

Their initial panic was short lived when Don's eyes opened again and Colby was shocked to see that his supervisor appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"He's gone, Granger."

As the emergency medical personnel began to check Don over, Colby tried to move closer to him without getting in the way.

"Don? I don't…."

Don tuned his head and looked mournfully at the younger agent.

"I couldn't do anything. And he's gone."

As Colby stared at his boss he was stuck with the sudden realization that Don thought Charlie had drowned. He shoved an unsuspecting EMT aside so he could look Don straight in the eye.

"Don. No, man. Charlie's at the hospital."

He watched the expression on Don's face change to one of hesitant optimism.

"Yeah?"

Colby nodded his head vigorously.

"Yeah….him and all three of those kids, Don."

"He held on to her?"

It wasn't so much a question as a statement, but Colby answered anyway.

"He held on to her, Don."

A staid, detached expression settled over Don's pale features and Colby could tell that he was struggling to contain his emotions.

"Is he……okay?"

Unsure of how to answer, Colby was grateful when the EMT he had shoved aside maneuvered back between him and Don to lift the stretcher. Don had kept his eyes on Colby and was still waiting for an answer.

As the medics walked past, David reached out and put his hand on Don's shoulder.

"They took Charlie to Saint Joes….which is where you're going. Just relax, Eppes. You're in good hands."

Don flattened his shoulders on the stretcher as he tried to relax his rigid muscles. Charlie was alive. Injured, yeah…..maybe even badly….since Colby wouldn't say. But that didn't matter right now. He _was _alive or David would have told him. If he were dead, Colby _would _have told him.

As they reached the street; the full memory of exactly how their car had ended up in the river played through his mind again. Suddenly Don tried to sit up and the rescue workers who where carrying his stretcher nearly dropped him on the pavement.

"HEY! Hey, Sinclair!"

David and Colby were right behind them and they rushed up to the back of the ambulance.

"It wasn't an accident. We were pushed off that bridge."

The two agents exchanged a moment of silent communication as two of the EMT's lifted Don's gurney into the back of the ambulance. With a nod at his partner, David climbed into the vehicle behind Don and the EMT slammed the doors.

As the man walked toward the front of the ambulance, Colby grabbed his arm and flashed his badge…just to make sure the driver knew what and who he was dealing with.

"Hey. Is he gonna be alright?"

The man nodded his head confidently.

"He got out of the water, which is more than I can say for the first guy. Luckily it's not as cold as it was last night. Moderate hypothermia, he's banged up pretty good and I'd say his ankle's broken. But I think he'll live."

As the man climbed into the driver's seat of the ambulance, Colby walked toward his car and pulled out his cell phone.

"Megan? It's me. They found him."

………………………………

_Authors Notes: _

_So, here is the AMITA warning as request by imbreena:_

_I have done an uncharacteristic thing. I have included Amita in this fic. This is not a Charlie/Amita pairing….They will not be falling into each others arms at any point in this story, but she is present and accounted for and experiencing special feelings about her ex-thesis advisor. I haven't done much with her in the past……But I thought I'd better give it a try just once before I decide to send her after Robin into the great beyond. That was in Elegy for Justice - if you haven't read my trilogy you should give it a shot while you are waiting for …………………_

**Chapter Eight: Forces of Nature**


	8. Forces of Nature

**Chapter Eight: Forces of Nature**

From the moment her phone rang; between the seaweed salad and the salmon sashimi, Larry knew something dreadful must have happened.

He watched the charming smile he adored dissipate and from the first question Megan posed after listening to the voice on the other end of the line, the character of the call was apparent.

"Where?"

A wave of sympathy washed over him as Larry watched Megan's eyebrows knit together and she listened to the answer.

But he did not expect her to reach out and grab his hand as if he should be sharing in her distress.

"Does Alan know?"

As the comprehension that this calamity; whatever it may be, was of a personal nature for them, Larry raised his eyebrows in an inquiring fashion.

Megan's next question to the caller would have confused him if she hadn't accompanied it with watery eyes and a forlorn glance of sympathy in _his _direction.

"And what about Don?"

Larry felt his heart plummet into this stomach and land solidly amidst miso soup and green tea.

"Charles?"

She met his inquiry with a tight lipped expression and a subtle nod, but did not disclose any details until they had paid the check and were safely out of the restaurant. Megan even went as far as to suggest that she drive and he gladly handed over his keys.

The ride to the Saint Joseph Emergency Medical Center was made in shocked silence. The notion that Don had somehow managed to drive himself and another car off a bridge and into the river was a hard sell for them both.

Pulling into the hospital parking lot, Larry shook his head in disbelief.

"If this was caused by reckless driving and poor weather conditions, you can keep those keys, Megan. If Don couldn't keep it on the road, then I've certainly got no business behind the wheel. And I just refuse to believe Don, of all people, would be that careless. Not with Charles in the car."

Taking his hand and placing the keys gently in his palm, a faint smile danced over Megan's face.

"Of course not, Larry. No one believes that. But right now all the information they have came from a terrified five year old girl. Hopefully Charlie will be able to tell us something when he wakes up."

"Did David know……?"

Larry was unable to voice his concern for his young friend and Megan squeezed his arm gently.

"Let's go find out, okay?"

Fifteen minutes later, Larry sat in the waiting area with Amita. His friend and colleague kept her eyes on the floor. When she and Alan had arrived, Megan had located Charlie and had already used her badge to get in to see him. The nurse quickly ushered Alan through the double doors after her. If Larry hadn't grabbed Amita's arm, he was certain she would have followed; despite the nurses' instruction that it was family only. Everyone knew how much Amita truly cared for Charles…..well almost everyone.

Perhaps the two subjects of the postulation were only beginning to see it.

With a sigh, Larry moved to sit next to her.

"Charles is one of the most stubborn men……"

The two friends exchanged a rueful glance.

"He'll be alright, Amita. He's going to be alright."

Larry put his arm around her shoulders and they settled in for a long wait.

The wait was cut short when Megan rushed out of the double doors and across the lobby to the Emergency Room Ambulance Bay.

Larry jumped to his feet.

"Megan?"

When she turned back to him, she was wearing an almost imperceptible smile. But nevertheless, it was a smile.

"They found Don."

"Oh, thank heavens. And Charles?"

"Alan is with him."

"But, Megan. How is he?"

She declined to answer his question as the ambulance pulled into the bay.

David climbed out first.

"He's okay, Megan. It could be worse. Broken leg….hit his head a few times."

The EMT who had been riding in the front of the ambulance circled around to the back doors. He paused to reassure the two agents.

"We're lucky it was a warm night….despite the rain. If we'd hit the 60's tonight, they wouldn't have had a chance."

Megan looked stricken by the comment and David grabbed her arm, pulling her aside so the medical personal could pull Don from the ambulance.

"Like I said…..it could be worse. Where's Charlie?"

"Room two, with Alan."

Instead of specifying as to his condition, Megan shrugged her shoulders.

Colby rushed through the ambulance bay doors and David nodded his head in greeting. Huddling in the hall, he addressed his fellow agents.

"I got the details from Don on the way over. There's no way this was an accident."

………………………………

Alan sat in exam room two and looked at his youngest son's tranquil features. Charlie was still wrapped in warming blankets and they were preparing to take him for a CT scan to determine the severity of his head injury. His right arm was in a splint and while they were waiting for the x-ray, warm saline was being piped into his body through his IV.

Resisting the urge to rush after Megan to see about Don, Alan turned back to the bed and brushed the curls off of Charlie's forehead. His skin still felt cold, but the nurse had assured him that his son's core temperature was rising steadily. When he had spoken with the doctor, the physician had seemed quite concerned with the possibility of a severe concussion. Charlie still had not regained consciousness and it was obvious from the dual knots on his head that he had been stuck multiple times during the accident and subsequent ordeal in the water. Cranial swelling was likely and the doctor seemed deeply concerned with that possible development on top of the hypothermia.

Turning toward the door, resolving himself to wait for Megan to return, Alan was startled by a weak cough from the bed.

"Charlie? Son?"

"m, sorry, Dad."

Rushing to Charlie's side, Alan found his son's hand.

"Its okay, Charlie. You're alright."

Watching Charlie's eyes fill up with tears, Alan shook his head.

"It's going to be alright, Charlie."

Blinking rapidly, Charlie allowed his tears to flow down his cheeks. He struggled to sit up, grimacing as he tried to put weight on his right arm.

"I couldn't do anything……….it was just………the water……"

"No, no. Megan said they know this wasn't just an accident and Don….."

Much to Alan's surprise, Charlie bolted into an upright position and slung his legs over the side of the bed.

Tears suddenly gone, his voice was weak but determined.

"I have to talk to Megan…Dad. They pushed us off the road. They're responsible for what happened. They killed Don. I have to………….."

"What?"

Alan interrupted, grabbing Charlie's shoulder.

"Charlie. Don is alright."

Charlie shook his head miserably, looking pitiful.

"No, Dad. I saw it."

His eyes swam out of focus as the memory of how Don had been lost played behind his eyes.

"The car was gone. It went under. There was nothing I could do. I had to save the little girl."

"Yes. And the children are fine, Charlie. But so is Don. He is in an ambulance. David is with him. Megan just talked to Colby."

Smiling, Alan put his hand on Charlie's cheek.

"Your brother is alive, Charlie. He'll be here in just a few minutes."

The expression of disbelief on Charlie's face diminished, but only slightly.

"Are you sure?"

Alan's smile must have convinced him to a certain degree, because Charlie's shoulders seemed to relax. But the moment was brief and before Alan could say anything else, Charlie had thrown off the blankets, wrapped his hand around his IV pole and lurched unsteadily to his feet. The movement was so unexpected; Alan didn't have time to restrain him before Charlie was shuffling out the door and headed down the hallway toward the ambulance bay.

………………………………

"Where is he? I need to see him."

Don's voice was shaking as he struggled against the restraints holding him onto the gurney.

"Temp's up to ninety four five."

He found the face of a nurse above him.

"I need to see my brother."

"Just lay back, Sir."

Don pulled his arm up and started un-strapping the Velcro restraints that held his body in place during the ambulance ride.

"If I don't see my brother in the next five minutes, something very bad is going to happen here."

The doctor put his hand on Don's chest to restrain him and yelled at his nurse.

"He's agitated and hostile. Get me five milligrams Haloperidol."

"Wait, wait!

Megan's voice rang up the hallway after them.

"He's not in custody. He's a federal agent!"

The doctor looked from Megan to Don and relaxed a bit.

"You need to calm down, Sir. If you try to get up, you could permanently damage that ankle."

Megan rushed up next to the gurney as it traveled down the hallway.

"He's okay, Don. Your Dad is with him."

"Megan, if I don't see my brother, I'm not sure……"

Don's sentence was interrupted by a familiar voice from down the hall.

"Don?"

As they reached the door to the trauma room, Megan put out her hand to slow down the gurney.

"Charlie?"

Don locked eyes with his younger brother and just as it had outside the car in the river, everything slowed to a crawl. As Alan rushed up beside Charlie to support him, the EMT's pushed Don into the trauma room and time regained it's natural velocity.

Charlie wavered several times before he felt steady enough to walk into the room. He stood at the foot of the bed as they hoisted Don from the gurney and he felt Megan put her hand on his back.

"He's okay, Charlie. He may have a broken leg, but he's okay."

Charlie nodded mutely without taking his eyes off of Don's.

As the EMT's exited the room, Charlie pulled away from Alan's supportive grasp on his arm. And despite the fact that he felt light headed and wasn't really sure he could stay standing, he worked his way around the side of the bed.

One of the nurses attending to Don was the same one that had been in Charlie's room earlier and she was genial enough to move aside and let him through. But she remained directly behind him as if she were certain his legs would give out at any moment.

"Don. I….I thought you were…………….."

The words were spoken so quietly, Don almost had to read Charlie's lips.

He nodded at his younger brother and swallowed hard to suppress the massive surge of emotion that was filling his chest.

"So did I, Buddy. You hit that car door pretty hard."

"But you're okay?"

Despite the visible reduction of worry etched on his face, tears were starting to shimmer in Charlie's eyes.

Don quickly found himself fighting the same reaction.

"Yeah."

He took a deep breath and allowed himself a relieved smile.

"Yeah. I think so. How 'bout you?"

Leaning hard against the bed and holding tightly to his IV pole, Charlie nodded slightly. His expression was hovering between amazed and confused.

"I really thought……...Don…I really thought you ………"

Realizing that the E.R. team had reached a stopping point and was not prepared to wait for the brotherly moment to conclude, Alan nodded at the nurse behind Charlie.

"Come on, son. Let's get out of the doctors way."

The nurse tapped him on the shoulder and indicated a wheelchair someone had pulled in from the hall As she took Charlie's arm he teetered and almost fell over. Keeping him upright, she lowered him expertly into the chair, giving him a friendly smile.

"Your doctor will be glad to see you awake, but I'm afraid we need to get you back to your room and laying down. They're expecting you downstairs for that CT scan. You're lucky you didn't fall on your face walking down that hall."

The nurse began to push Charlie from the room and the ER team began the process of cutting Don's pants from his body.

"Wait."

Some of the typical, brusque authority had returned to Don's voice. Not only did the ER team freeze, but the nurse wheeling Charlie from the room stopped in her tracks.

Charlie careened his head around to look at his older brother.

"It's okay, Buddy. We're both okay."

Don watched as Charlie blinked releasing the tears that had been welling up in his eyes.

"I'll see you again in a few minutes, alright? Okay, Buddy?"

Charlie was nodding gravely, but then suddenly he smiled and Don felt as if a two ton weight had been lifted from his chest. Resolving himself to the humiliation of being undressed by strangers, Don didn't object when the doctor and his team resumed their undertaking. He shifted his eyes to his fathers fretful expression as he headed after Charlie.

"Dad?"

Alan turned back to meet his eyes.

"Yes, Donnie?"

"I'm alright. I'll see you both in a little while, okay?"

Alan nodded solemnly but much to his surprise, Don's expression changed and he appeared to be suppressing a grin.

"And I'm real sorry about the car."

With a brief laugh, Alan shook his head.

"It's just a car, Donnie."

His face turned serious again.

"I'm just glad you're both alright."

Following Charlie and the nurse toward the double doors that lead into the hallway, Alan saw Colby and David talking to a well dressed couple. The two agents appeared to be trying to usher them away from the door and back toward the waiting room. The man and woman were drenched from the rain and as the door opened they fixed their eyes on Charlie.

As Alan followed, he turned to look at his oldest son again.

"I somehow think I'm not the only one who wants to know what the hell happened out there tonight."

………………………………

_Authors Notes: Hey all, thanks for your comments. I appreciate all of the input!_

_Perhaps I will destroy Amita in the future - but not in this fic…sorry to disappoint._

_I love everyone's comments! And because of them, I wanted to let you in on some of the info that I based this scenario on….._

_According to my research, in Southern California, the average temperature for an evening in the month of March is about 67 degrees. The rain is naturally going to be colder than that. Therefore, the temperature of that river would likely be around 60 degrees. But the surrounding air is much warmer...and I intended it to be a bit warmer than usual; as the EMT pointed out the air temperature was above 70._

_How fortunate for our heroes, huh?_

_I know the breeze could substantially worsen the condition of hypothermia. But the trees are really, really thick...they actually are...I've got several pictures of this particular stretch of the L.A. river taken from the Victory Blvd. Bridge….I think Don and Sophia could easily have huddled in those trees and kept out of the worst of the wind, therefore voiding a serious case of hypothermia. The very dense foliage of these trees is what made their initial survival possible…It would have made them very hard to find when the rescue team was searching as well. _

_I try to keep my facts straight…but do try to give me some creative flexibility as well._

_I'm fighting to keep it as close to realistic as I can get it!_

("Damn It Jim, **I'm Not A Doctor!")**

_But I do research my locations and events! I really do._

_I hope you can oversee anything that I failed to fully explain in the story and still enjoy the read._

_And I hope this helps clear up any questions or issues with my scenario and it's ramifications._

_Thanks again for all your comments! I really appreciate them!_

_I'd love to continue to hear from all of you and feel free to email me if you don't want to leave a public comment. My email address is listed on my profile._

_d_

**Chapter Nine: Prevailing Winds**


	9. Prevailing Winds

**Chapter Nine: Prevailing Winds**

The morning sky was gloomy and overcast. From his limited view out of the window from the bed in his hospital room, Charlie could see another round of storm clouds building in the ominously darkened sky.

Storm clouds.

The memory of the storm clouds he had seen on the horizon last night assailed him and he felt his heart flutter. It was right before they got to the bridge and ….…. He stopped himself before he could finish the thought. He didn't want that visual memory to play through his mind again.

With his right arm in an elbow cast, he had been forced to lie on his left side all night and his hip and left shoulder were aching. With a deep sigh, Charlie arched his back and stretched his sore muscles.

"Good Morning."

The familiar feminine voice startled Charlie from his traditional early morning stupor and quickly pushed the lingering terror from the night before back a notch. Hoping his hospital gown wasn't gaping open in the back, he felt a blush rise to his cheeks.

"Amita?"

He turned his head away from the window and found a pair of dark eyes staring at him. Although her presence was initially puzzling and moderately embarrassing given his present condition, he was genuinely pleased to see her.

"What are you doing here?"

A soft smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

"Your Father is with Don. He didn't want you to wake up alone."

Charlie felt a surge of panic sear across his chest at the mention of his brother's name. He tried to remember what his father had said about Don's condition last night. He had looked relatively okay considering the night they'd had. And the doctor and nurses didn't seem to be acting as if it were a major trauma. Charlie fought to control his nerves and tried to keep his voice from cracking as he spoke.

"Is he okay? Did something else happen?"

Watching the expressive eyes of her close friend and colleague, Amita felt a warm fluttery feeling growing in her chest. She had to smile at the literal translation of having butterflies in her stomach; feeling slightly awed at her reaction to seeing him so vulnerable.

"Don? No."

She walked closer to the bed, resisting the urge to reach out and brush the dark curls away from Charlie's eyes.

"No. He's fine. He has a pristine white cast on his foot, but the bone wasn't crushed, just a fracture, so he won't need any pins in it. They're actually downstairs at a news conference."

Charlie's mouth fell open in an almost comical fashion.

"A what?"

With a smile, Amita brushed her hair behind her shoulders.

"I guess you _were _out of it last night."

Charlie watched her carefully as she stood and walked to the other side of his bed.

"You were here?"

She nodded as she grabbed the remote control for the television from the bedside table.

"I was at your house when David called. Remember, we were supposed to proof Larry's mathematics for his chaos presentation?"

"Yeah, but I don't remember seeing…………."

Furrowing his brow, Charlie tried to run though the sketchy memories of what had happened after he had woke up in the exam room. He remembered going to find Don and the nurse putting him in a wheel chair….but after that? He lifted is left hand and gently caressed what felt like a softball on his left temple. It seemed to be the primary source of the ache in his head. He was still a little shocked to feel it there, but he knew he had hit his head when he fell into the water….….he remembered that part.

When Amita put her hand gently on his arm, Charlie looked up and met her comforting gaze.

"Its okay, Charlie. The concussion is minimal and the doctor told your father there should be no permanent effects. You don't have amnesia or anything. I was in the waiting room with Larry, that's why you didn't see me."

An actual exhalation of relief rushed out of him.

"Well, that's good to hear. I was starting to wonder."

He smiled diffidently.

"What else did I miss?"

Flipping on the TV and then hitting the MUTE button, Amita pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed.

"Last night after your CT scan, Robert Whitney pitched a fit in the hallway outside your room. He demanded to talk to you and Don. David almost had to throw him out."

The knowledge that both he and Don had come out of this thing without any non-repairable damage seemed to have taken a physical load off of Charlie's shoulders. He pulled himself up straight and began adjusting the bed into a sitting position.

"Robert Whitney? You mean the defense attorney?"

"Yeah, the one who all the big Hollywood types use. It turns out he's………."

Charlie cut her off.

"…their father."

The conversations he had overheard after his rescue played back in his mind. The medical team thought he was non-responsive. He thought Don was dead and didn't feel like opening his eyes and facing the reality of it. Shaking off the powerful urge to jump out of bed and go find Don again, he turned back to Amita.

"The girls that Don and I pulled out of the car. He's their father."

"Yeah, How'd you………."

Charlie waved his hand to dismiss the question, his brow furrowed with concern.

"Why was he looking for us?"

Turning to the television Amita laughed genially.

"He's a high profile celebrity defense attorney, Charlie. Looking good on television is part of his image."

Following her eyes to the screen a snippet of the news conference was being played back. Amita didn't bother to un-mute the television, but Charlie could read Don's lips and he caught the words '_justice'_ and '_attempted murder'_. A distinguished looking man in a suit next to him was nodding emphatically with each word. Seeing Don sitting up in a chair, in living color on television set Charlie's heart racing. He was alive. He was bruised and battered and really looked like he needed to go back to bed, but he was alive. Suddenly Charlie found it difficult to swallow.

He reached for a glass of water, but it was empty.

Amita grabbed the plastic water pitcher and headed for the bathroom sink. She raised her voice to be heard as she refilled the pitcher.

"He decided making a public spectacle out of thanking the heroic citizens who saved his children's lives would be a good publicity move. When he found out Don was a federal agent he and his minions marched in here like the grand marshal in a small town parade."

Amita walked back into the room and filled Charlie's glass with water.

"Thank you."

He paused to take a sip and then tilted his head slightly to the left to stare at her.

"You're saying Don agreed to a press conference?"

"Yes."

Walking back around to the side of the bed where the remote was, Amita looked up at the television.

"I'm not sure why. I think he thought it might help find the guys who ran the cars off the road."

"That's exactly what he thought."

Charlie and Amita both turned their head to see Colby standing in the doorway.

"It's pretty apparent this wasn't an accident, Charlie. We know that from the statements we got last night from you, Don and Ms. Damari. She's the Whitney's nanny, the one who was driving the other car."

Charlie nodded as another memory from last night assailed him.

"Sophia. The little girl called her Sophia."

Colby nodded a slight smile playing across his face.

"Yeah. The girl's name is Hannah, by the way. I talked to her earlier this morning."

"Is she….are they all….?"  
His voice cracked as he tried to ask the question, so Colby went ahead with the answer.

"They're all fine, Charlie. Kaitlyn, the girl who was in the water with you…she's up in Pediatrics, being treated for hypothermia, same as you. You may not remember, but you got her back up out of the river and kept her out of the wind. Her father said she was going to be fine. You and Don are the heroes of the day."

Colby smiled at him jovially as he walked further into the room.

"Hannah just finished telling the press how you two saved her and her baby sister and then how you almost died trying to save Kaitlyn while the car was '_whisked away' down_ the river. It was all very dramatic. That kid can really tell a story. You guys won't have any trouble finding a date after this."

Charlie could feel an embarrassed flush rising in his cheeks again and he took another sip of water.

"What's Don going to do? Do we know who…."

Colby shook his head.

"We'll we're investigating everyone with a grudge against Don and…….."

A good-natured snicker from Amita interrupted him.

"I'll bet that's a pretty long list."

With a wide grin, Colby pulled up a chair from the corner of the room.

"Not as long as you might think. Mr. Whitney's list is longer. And Ms. Damari's list is almost as impressive."

"The nanny?"

Amita shot Colby a wary look and Charlie laughed at her surprise.

"I suppose that's not as completely unreasonable a supposition as you might think, Amita."

He turned to the federal agent.

"Do you really think someone was trying to kill the nanny?"

"Why not?"

Leaning back in his seat, Colby crossed his arms.

"For that matter, why not you?"

"ME? Why would someone want to kill me?"

Charlie struggled to set up a little straighter and cradled his cast with his left arm.

"That's what Don said too, Charlie. But we have to look objectively at every possibility."

Charlie grinned, waiting for the punch line, but his smile quickly faded as Colby's expression remained serious.

"You're up here to find out if anyone might want _me _dead badly enough to run us and another car, full of children….of all things, off the road?"

Colby nodded; looking moderately uncomfortable.

"Yeah, 'fraid so."

"Well, the answer is NO!"

Charlie's eyes flashed with an over embroidered defiance and Colby had to suppress a smile.

Lifting his hands in mock surrender, he stood to leave.

"_And _that's what Don said too. So now that we've got that out of the way….."

"What about….?"

Amita's voice stopped him in his tracks.

She paused and looked from Colby to Charlie.

"That kid you had expelled. The one who stole the midterm last semester?"

Charlie forced a laugh in feigned astonishment.

"Oz?"

Amita nodded and turned to Colby.

"Nathan Oswald. He was a student who…….."

With an exasperated sigh, Charlie cut her off.

"….who knew what he did was wrong, Amita. He certainly wouldn't try to kill me."

Colby turned back toward the door.

"We'll have to talk to him, Charlie."

"The mere notion that this incident has anything to do with me….Well, it's completely absurd, Colby!"

Amita scooted her chair closer to the bed and put her hand on Charlie's arm again.

"No more absurd than someone wanting a teenager and three little girls dead, Charlie. Besides, its just standard procedure to check out any possibilities."

She turned to the stout federal agent for confirmation.

"Right? It's not like you're going to 'drag him downtown.'"

Opening his eyes wide in response and giving her a flagrantly exaggerated nod, Colby gave the disconcerted mathematician one more glance.

Thinking about how a tragically different outcome of last night's events would have changed the tone of this investigation, he pulled out his cell phone. Dialing the office, Colby headed for the door.

He would have to send someone to pick up Nathan Oswald.

Then they were going to have a little chat.

………………………………

_Authors Notes:_

_Two words - Stomach Virus_

_Two more words - Sick kid_

_Sorry about not posting for a few days. Things got a little crazy there for a while._

_Think 'The Exorcist', but with chocolate donuts instead of the pea soup._

_Yeah. That's what I said too._

_Anyway - the next chapter shouldn't be so long in coming._

**Chapter Ten: Overcast With a Chance of Showers**


	10. Overcast With a Chance of Showers

_Authors Notes: Well, I hope the site is truly fixed and you are all getting your update emails again like I am. Thanks for your thoughts! The whole family is healthy again and slept late - except me - so I have had time to write! _

_Time is short - Like Don's new haircut! _

_Happy, Happy! _

_Let me know what you're thinking about this little whodunit….._

_dHALL_

**Chapter Ten: Overcast With a Chance of Showers**

"Agent Eppes."

The tall leggy blond extended her hand and Don shook it politely as the flashbulbs went off.

"Mrs. Whitney."

"I don't think I can ever thank you and your brother enough for what you did…..and don't give me that 'awww shucks, I was doing my job' line either."

Her exceedingly white teeth sparkled through a classic California smile.

"Your brother…..Charles, I believe?"

Sitting in the wheelchair, Don wished that he had been able to change into some blue jeans, but the cast on his leg made that impossible and he had been forced to settle on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Feeling extremely underdressed and trapped by his immobility, he managed to give her a genial nod.

"Yes, Ma'am. Charlie."

"He's a math teacher?"

Keeping his own smile plastered on his face was starting to hurt as much as his ankle did.

"A Professor of Applied Mathematics, yes."

"Well, you both could have abandoned my babies and tried to save your own lives and no one would have thought any less of you for it."

Don put on his best "good 'ol boy" façade.

"Ma'am. That just wasn't an option."

Behind her mascara laden lashes, her eyes quickly filled with what appeared to be genuine tears as more pictures were snapped by the press.

"If there weren't tabloid photographers out there who'd save the picture for later, I'd kiss you."

Her unencumbered gratitude was clearly authentic and a bona fide smile momentarily took over the expression on Don's face.

Megan laughed cordially at the comment as she took the handles of Don's wheelchair and began to back him up toward the door.

"Mrs. Whitney? We're going to need to speak to you inside for a moment."

The flash bulbs continued to go off and the woman brushed her blond tresses behind her shoulders.

"Of course. I assumed you would."

As they turned away from the press and headed back into the hospital, Mrs. Whitney fell into step next to Don's wheelchair.

"Is your brother going to be alright?"

"He will be."

Turning back to look at the doorway, Don saw Mr. Whitney standing in the corner of the lobby talking to David.

"Don't take Charlie's absence at your husbands little press party the wrong way. Charlie just……….he isn't one for cameras."

"Neither am I, but with Robert…. I guess it comes with the territory. "

As Megan wheeled him down the hallway and into the privacy of the hospital meeting room, Don let his smile fade.

"Honestly, Mrs. Whitney…."

The tall blond leaned forward and beamed at him.  
"Allison….please."

Not bothering to reinstate his own smile, Don took a deep breath before he continued.

"Allison. Until we know who is behind this, I don't want Charlie's face on television. Having his name out there, associated with your husband and whatever someone tried to do last night is bad enough."

"My husband? You really _do _think someone was after Robert? And that's why…..well, that's ridiculous. Surely this was just another case of L.A. road rage. That's what you said to the news cameras. Road Rage right? No one would kill three children to get at one man."

Megan walked around the table and took a seat across from Mrs. Whitney.

"It _could _have been road rage and your husband's offer of a five thousand dollar reward will likely flood our office with calls to that effect. There's a good chance we can the vehicles that way and, in turn, the persons responsible. Try not to take it personally, but we still have to investigate the possibility that this was more than just a couple of teens out for a thrill or someone who didn't like the way Ms. Damari or Agent Eppes changed lanes. I need you to think about this….long and hard. Take your time. Can you think of anyone….._Anyone _who might have threatened you, your husband or your family in a_ny way_?"

Don learned forward in his wheelchair and looked intently at her. Allison Whitney was maybe a few years older than he was and although they were well hidden by her meticulously applied makeup, Don could see stress lines that indicated her life had not always been the bouquet of roses that it appeared to be now. Taking a shot in the dark, Don reached out and put his hand on top of hers.

"Allison. If there is someone…_anyone _that you know of…..maybe someone from _your _past, that might want to hurt you or your children….Well, now is the time to share that with us. We can help you."

Watching the woman while Don spoke, Megan was not surprised to see her eyes fill up with tears. This was Hollywood after all.

"Mrs. Whitney?"

The woman shook her head.

"No. Agent Eppes. Agent Reeves. There's no one. Robert is the one who raises people's ire. Not me. And not my girls."

Megan reached across the table and handed the woman her card.

"My office and cell number are on there. If you think of anything. Please, don't hesitate to call me."

The woman stood, but stopped to lean over Don. Brushing her lips lightly across his cheek, she was careful to avoid the row of stitches across his brow.

"Agent Eppes. Thank you again…..for what you and your brother did. I'll always be in your debt."

As the woman walked from the room Megan looked at Don and raised one eyebrow.

"You've got a little lipstick…"

She brushed her hand across her cheek to demonstrate.

Expelling a deep, frustrated sigh, Don emulated her movement, rubbing his face until the crimson smear was gone.

"Well, that was pretty pointless."

Megan nodded her head as she stood and walked around the table.

"Well, David's going over the list Mr. Whitney gave us last night……but so far nothing looks promising. Since he took on his current clientele, he's never lost a case. Why would anyone want to kill him?"

"Since the opposing party is usually the United States Government or the State of California …yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"We've got the whole crew at the office looking over your old case files…threats against you, that sort of thing. And Colby's going to talk to Charlie's guy…."

Don cut her off.

"Charlie's guy? You mean he actually came up with someone?"

Nodding hesitantly at her boss, Megan was shocked by the surprised expression on his face.

"Amita did, yeah."

Don leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling.

"Great. That's just freakin' great. I automatically assume it's about me, and not only do we have the Whitney's and Ms. Damari to consider, Charlie's got someone who wouldn't mind if he stopped breathing!"

Megan chucked softly in an attempt is dispel Don's concern.

"It's some guy he got expelled., Don. I doubt it'll pan out."

Crossing her arms in front of her, Megan continued.

"I do think we can safely eliminate road rage. But we've got a team set up to handle any promising tips that might come in about the trucks."

"What about the nanny?"

"The team at the office is looking into some things. But nothing so far. She's probably just being a drama queen, but she seemed certain this was because of her. Almost as certain as you were."

She paused giving Don time to make a face at her in response.

"Still, Colby and I are going to head to her school tomorrow…see what we can find out."

Don shook his head at her.

"No. I don't see it. Something's missing…."

"It's too much of a coincidence for it to be you, Don. Or Charlie. Someone wanted those kids _or _that young woman dead. You two just got in the way."

Running through the incident in his mind for what felt like the up-millionth time, Don remembered something new.

"You may be right, Megan. I was passing her car, but I slowed down…I wouldn't let the SUV get by. That has to be it."

He shook his head in disgust.

"They wanted me to pass so they could get to the car at the bridge. When I didn't go by; they decided to take us both out."

Megan leaned against the table and playing devils advocate, tried not to sound too cynical.

"Rather than miss their opportunity to make it look like an accident…..they risk leaving witnesses?"

"Yeah, I know. It's pretty thin. Still, go ahead and follow up on anything my list or Charlie's….."

Don paused mid-sentence, looking doubtful.

"….its a short list right?"

"One guy…"

Raising her index finger in the air to reiterate her point, Megan turned to her boss.

"No one wants Charlie dead. Hell, Don. People go out of their way not to hurt Charlie's _feelings_."

Despite his underlying anxiety, a grin covered Don's face as he rolled his wheelchair away from the table.

"Yeah, that's what Dad says too."

Biting his lip for minute, Don finally shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, follow up on it anyway. We don't want to miss anything. And let me know what you find out about the Nanny. Her family name is Israeli, right? There could be something to that."

Stepping ahead of Don to open the door for his wheel chair, Megan nodded her head curtly.

"We're already on it, boss."

Starting down the hall, Megan fell into place behind the wheelchair without asking and began to push Don down the corridor.

"When are they letting you out?"

Rolling his eyes at being treated like an invalid, he surrendered the chair and let Megan take over. Leaning back and relaxing his shoulders, he tried to enjoy the ride.

"In the morning. Or so they say. Charlie too. I figured they'd keep him longer, but the concussion wasn't as severe at they initially thought. And apparently forty eight hours is generous for a hospital stay these days if your not critical. Just bumps, bruises and broken bones to heal. Nothing some down time at home won't fix."

"And you _are_ going home?"

When he didn't answer, Megan stopped pushing.

"DON?"

Turning his head to face her, Don looked sullen.

"No, okay. Are you happy?"

"Don, I know how you are when things get personal. But you can't return to work until the doctor..…"

A grin broke through the solemn expression on his face cutting her off.

"I'm going to Charlie's."

Turning back to face front as Megan huffed at him and started pushing the chair again, Don laughed.

"It just so happens that the elevator in my apartment building is out. If I didn't know better………."

"I'll bet your father is thrilled."

Don was unable to wipe the smile from his face despite the aches and pains in his body that had been growing throughout the morning. The worries and concerns that were weighing down his shoulders became a little less heavy as he laughed again.

"He is thrilled beyond words, Megan. Maybe you should investigate him."

Stopping in front of the elevator, Megan stepped around Don's chair to push the button. Turning to face him she gave him an amused smile.

"I talked to him before he went back up to Charlie's room. But I can see the headlines, now.

'Father desperate for quality time with his grown sons has his own car driven into the river in an attempt to render them helpless so he can smother them with attention'."

Don widened his eyes in mock surprise and shook his head in agreement.

"Right. It's all coming together now."

As the elevator's ding rang out to announce its arrival Megan patted Don on the shoulder and smiled.

"Now that's thin, Eppes. Really thin."

………………………………

**Chapter Eleven: Opaque Cloud Cover, Zero Visibility**


	11. Opaque Cloud Cover, Zero Visibility

**Chapter Eleven: Opaque Cloud Cover, Zero Visibility**

"You're kidding right?"

David shook his head at the young man sitting in front of him.

"No, Paulie. I'm not. Someone tried to kill Agent Eppes Wednesday night by running his car into the river."

"Well, I believe _that_."

The man's smile faded as he realized the seriousness of the accusation and he paused to run his hand over his face.

"Well, you're full of crap if you think I had anything to do with it. I've been straight and clean since I got out, man. Ask my PO."

Leaning forward in his seat, David looked intently at the suspect.

"Don't you remember what you said to him at your trial Carpazo?"

"Yeah. I told him I was going to beat his freakin' head in with a baseball bat. Playing bumper cars on a bridge isn't exactly a follow through on that threat now, is it?"

Turning to look at the agent who had accompanied him, David almost laughed at the intent expression on the her face. Colby and Megan had gone to check out a possible lead from Sophia Damari's list of 'enemies' and David had selected Agent Holly Ardeljan to accompany him on this little visit. He was so certain Paul Carpazo would turn out to be a no-go, he almost came alone. He'd already talked to the guy's parole officer and sure enough, the man appeared to be running the straight and narrow. But he had made some pretty explicit threats against Don and had even written him several letters while he was serving his time.

Holly took a step forward, her severely humorless expression remaining.

"Paul, we're going to need to know where you were Wednesday around six."

The man gave her an ear to ear grin.  
"Wednesday? I was at AA."

He looked from Holly to David and then back again.

"I knew being an alcoholic would save my life one day."

………………………………

"His alibi checks out, Megan. He's been attending regular meetings since he got out of Folsom."

From David's voice, Megan could tell the agent was getting frustrated.

She put her hand over the phone receiver and turned to Colby.

"Carpazo is a big fat NO."

She spoke into the receiver again.

"Well, David. That wraps up Don's list. I just got a call from the lab. Both the cars are out of the river and we've got paint matches for a black 2005 F-Series Ford truck and a navy blue Chevy Tahoe. Not sure what year, the paint wasn't exclusive and from Don's description, I'd say anywhere from a 2001 to a 2006. If we can ever find a vehicle to compare them with…then we'll have something."

Colby stood next to the wall and listened to Megan as she wrapped up her conversation with David.

They had exhausted their list of suspects as well. Sophia Damari may have pissed a lot of people off, but no one seemed that eager to have the teenager killed. Her parents were Israeli immigrants and the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services was looking into their history, but so far, they were coming up clean. After talking to her friends, the only feasible suspect they could come up with was the young woman's English Teacher. And that one seemed like a love-hate thing. Colby watched the man in question walk from the building and head for his car. When Megan snapped her cell phone shut, Colby headed back toward the SUV.

"I'll give you three to one he's sleeping with her."

She shook her head.  
"No bet. But he didn't do this. He was here……the dean confirmed it. English department staff meeting….every Wednesday night."

As he climbed into the driver's seat, Colby shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, but still……He could have hired someone. These teacher student relationships can get messy."

"Colby, she's not a minor. The only rules he is _allegedly _breaking are school policy. Besides, any of these people could have hired someone."

The teasing quality in her voice faded and the stress of the past two days became more apparent as she frowned at him.

"Now how often does a contract killer run a car full of little girls off the road. They're methods aren't quite so………… subtle."

Again shrugging his shoulders, Colby tuned the key in the ignition.

"Hey, I'm grasping at straws here."

He put the SUV in drive and pulled out of the school's parking lot. Maneuvering around the throngs of young people on their way home for the weekend, he turned to glance at Megan.

"What now?"

Megan sighed and pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket.

"I guess I'll check in with Don. If he doesn't hear from us soon; Alan, Charlie, and a team of Kentucky thoroughbreds won't be able to keep him there……cast or no cast."

………………………………

"They're running a cross reference on paint matches against the vehicles owned by those on our list of possible suspects, even the ones we've already cleared. I don't know what else to tell you, Don."

Standing outside the backdoor of Charlie's house, Don paused to adjust his crutches. Holding his phone to his ear between his shoulder and chin as best he could, he turned and hobbled down the driveway toward the mailbox.

"Just tell me you'll call me if anything comes up?"

"You know I will."

Megan's voice changed its tone and Don could hear her suppressing a giggle.

"Is Alan still a suspect?"

Grinning over the phone, Don failed to keep his voice serious despite his best efforts.

"No. In fact he's not."

He laughed as he closed the empty mailbox and almost dropped the phone. Readjusting his crutches, Don headed back toward the house.

"I think at this point, he'd run us off the road just to get us out of the house and at work where we belong. He got frustrated with Charlie for cheating during a poker game…claimed he was counting cards again. Now _he's _retreated to the garage and Dad is in the kitchen…casseroles."

Megan laughed at the way Don said the word as if it were secret code for something terrible. Figuring it was as good a time as any to mention it, Megan cleared her throat.

"Uh, Don. I sent Agent Henderson to talk to Stan."

"Megan."

His irritation at her was painfully apparent in his voice, but she shook it off.

"I should have mentioned it, but I figured……….well, it was Alan's car, Don. We had to look there too."

"Yeah….did you find anything?"

"Not a damn thing. Unless he has a few more skeletons in his closet?"

"Besides that whole hippie peace movement thing?"

Don sighed realizing the truth in Megan's words. It was another possibility that had to be eliminated.

"I'm thinking that's gonna be a no. But….If there are, I don't know about them."

Don paused outside the closed door to the garage to readjust his awkward walking apparatus.

"There has to be something we're missing here. I'm assuming since I haven't heard anything about that Oz character that we couldn't make a viable suspect out of him?"

"Nope…Colby went through the works with this guy…..scared the kid half to death. Charlie may have gotten Oswald expelled, but I think he's still a ranking member of the Dr. Eppes fan club."

When Megan spoke again, her voice had taken on a new tone.

Something with more of an edge to it than Don had heard there before.

"I'm looking at your dad's car, Don. The evidence team found your gun under the front seat."

"Oh, Good. I thought I'd lost it."

She was silent for a moment.

"You didn't tell me you'd shot out the rear window. You emptied the clip, Don."

Remembering the look of fear and panic on Charlie's face when he had announced the windows were electric and had realized that they were trapped brought an unexpected lump to Don's throat. He swallowed the rising emotion down.

"We'll, it seemed like the thing to do at the time."

Megan chortled at his comment and he could hear Colby's expletives in the background as he examined the cars. Megan's voice took on her typical psychoanalytical tone when she was trying to get him to talk about something.

"I can't imagine what that was like for you…Seeing him fall into the water like that."

Don exhaled loudly, but the sight of Charlie through the windows of the garage door softened his tone when answered.

"Yeah. You couldn't imagine. But I'd really rather not talk about it, Reeves. He's alright, I'm alright. Everybody walked away. Let's just find out who did it, okay?"

He listened to the silence from Megan and was starting to wonder if she was analyzing him when she finally spoke again.

"Damn, Don. Do you realize how lucky you two are?"

Don nodded and watched Charlie through the window trying to write on his blackboard with his left hand.

"Yeah. Yeah, Reeves. I do."

_**Authors Notes:** Maybe that tied a few things together? Anyone still confused?_

_Your comments have been very helpful! Please continue to leave them. Please?_

**Chapter Twelve: Just Below the Surface **


	12. Just Below the Surface

**Chapter Twelve: Just Below the Surface **

"Of course. I'm sure they'd be glad to go."

Charlie looked up at his father in disbelief. It had been well over twelve years since he had agreed to anything on behalf of his sons.

Alan raised his eyebrows and smiled before he turned and walked into the kitchen, the phone held tightly to his ear.

Charlie could hear his father's end of the conversation as it continued.

"Mrs. Whitney. Charlie would never turn down a lady."

Don leaned back in his chair and pushed his dinner plate toward the center of the table.

"Let me guess. Another opportunity for the great Mr. Whitney to make himself look good?"

Alan stopped in the kitchen door as he hung up the phone and stared at his sons.

Charlie returned to his struggle of trying to cut his steak using only one hand and Don was watching him with a bemused expression on his face.

"Your brother almost has to knock you down so he can _walk _to the living room to get your phone for you and you won't lend a hand to help him cut his steak so he can finish his dinner? So much for 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine'. What kind of brother are you?"

Alan's playful sarcasm brought a half-smile to his face and Don gave his father a lightheartedly defiant look just as Charlie spoke through gritted teeth.

"I've got it, Dad."

"He's got it, Dad."

Alan shook his head as he sat back down at the table.

"I don't understand you two. It **_is _**okay to ask for help when you need it."

"I don't need it."

As Charlie spoke the knife slipped from his left hand and onto the floor. Pushing himself away from the table, Charlie struggled to pick his knife up without moving his immobilized right arm.

"I was doing fine. I need to eat slower anyway."

Don shook his head slowly, trying to suppress a smirk.  
"Not that slow.

Alan glared at Don. Rather than watch Charlie's struggle, he stood and headed into the kitchen returning with a clean knife. He handed the steak knife to Don and pushed Charlie's plate across the table at his oldest son.

Don laughed and looking from his father to the pitiful expression on Charlie's face, he put on his best juvenile pout.

"But he _said _he didn't want help."

"Well, he needs it."

Alan's face held its serious expression and Don glanced at Charlie. His younger brother appeared to be suppressing a grin.

Pulling Charlie's plate in front of him, Don started cutting the steak into overly tiny pieces.

"Why do I feel like we're in high school again?"

Turning to his father, Don tried to sustain a laugh.

"So…are you going to tell us what Mrs. Whitney wanted?"

"Hannah……has invited Charlie to her birthday party."

Alan's announcement took on a mildly regal quality and again Don was reminded of his childhood. He couldn't help but snicker as he pushed the plate of steak pieces across the table at his brother..

"Really? I'm jealous."

"Don't be. You're invited as well. I see no reason why you shouldn't spend the afternoon with their family, so I told her you'd both be there."

Don's mouth dropped open and Charlie guffawed at him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Dad."

Picking up his fork, his youngest son began viciously stabbing several pieces of steak.

"And just because I can't go to work doesn't mean I don't have things……"

Cutting him off, Alan rose to his feet.

"It's a great idea. In fact, this is the child's idea…..not her father's underhanded attempt for a photo opportunity with Charlie. And it's at their penthouse apartment in Hollywood. You've always wanted to see the view from one of those buildings, Charlie."

Charlie continued to stare at him in disbelief as he shoved a fork full of meat into his mouth. Looking moderately guilty, Alan continued trying to make a compelling argument.

"She'll be very disappointed if you don't come. She wants all of her friends to meet the men who saved her life."

Rolling his eyes and tossing his napkin on top of his plate, Charlie laughed quietly. Lifting his head, he looked at his older brother who was grinning at him.

"Why does this feel like an arranged play date?"

Before Don could answer, his cell phone rang.

"Saved by the cell."

Shrugging his shoulders as a pseudo apology to his younger brother and his father, Don flipped his phone open.

"Eppes."

"Where?"

"I'm not exactly driving right now, Granger. I seem to have broken my right ankle. In fact, I'm technically not back on until Monday morning…and then it's just light duty."

He paused and looking amused, listened to Colby's retaliatory comment.

"Of course I want to be there when you question him. I'm just giving you a hard time. I'll see you in five."

Flipping his phone shut, Don looked guiltily from his father to Charlie.

"Please give the Whitney's…and their penthouse apartment my best wishes."

"Let me guess, they've got somebody in custody?"

Don nodded at his father.

"Yeah. There was an accident on the Santa Monica Freeway. The pickup truck. It was just a fender bender, but the driver was behaving erratically and with our BOLO for the vehicle, that was enough for Highway Patrol to detain him. The make and model of the truck are right and existing damage seems to correlate with the collision. Even the blue and silver paint that's smeared along the side says he's our guy. They just need to get a chemical composition match to the paint left from your car and the BMW….and we've got him."

Charlie shook his head, looking unconvinced.

"So that's it then. It's over? What about the SUV?"

Struggling to his feet and reaching for his crutches, Don stuck his cell phone back in its holster.

"It looks like he's the guy, Charlie. There's another driver, yeah. But this guy also has a Chevy Tahoe matching the description of the one that ran us off the road registered in his name. They just got a warrant for his garage to check it for damage."

"Did he confess? Do they know who the other driver was? Do they know why?"

Looking at the slightly anxious expression on his fathers face, Don tried to give him an encouraging smile despite his own frustrations.

"Not yet. But that's what I'm going to find out."

Charlie got to his feet quickly and circled around the table to help Don with his crutches.

"Well, I'll come with you. I have enough facts about the case. I should have time to come up with a few expressions for a more affinitive algorithm and a probability equation would only take…………"

Taking a teetering step back, Don shook his head at his brother.

"I think scientific evidence has this one covered, Charlie. Seriously though, you should go to the kids party.

Trying to keep a straight face, Don looked intently at his brother.

"Besides, that little girl is counting on you."

With a cockeyed grin, Charlie picked up Don's plate and headed around the table.

"Yes, but Don. I want to see you kick that guy's ass."

"Colby will be doing the kicking….I'm just going for the show."

"He almost killed me too, Don. It's a show I'd like to see."

Charlie's comment, accompanied by a grin as he make his way to the kitchen, was spoken in jest; but the words got under Don's skin.

"I'll make you a tape. Seriously, Charlie. I don't know how this is going to go."

From inside the kitchen, Don could hear Charlie mumble something too softly to be heard.

Alan pulled himself to his feet and followed him through the swinging door.

"What did you say, Charlie?"

"I said I can't believe you told her I would go to this thing."

"Why? It's not like you can work on your emergence theory. You can't exactly write it out on the board."

Charlie sounded exasperated, but Don could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I'm working on it in my head."

"You're always working on it in your head. So go have some cake with the little girls and their Hollywood mothers……and work on it in your head."

Standing alone in the dining room, Don propped himself up on one of his crutches and listened to the banter between his father and brother. Charlie laughed and in an aberrant response, the sound sent a chill down Don's spine and set his heart racing. He remembered the moments of fear and uncertainty as he waited for the rescue boat to come get them out of the tree; the certain knowledge that he would have to face his father and tell him that they would never hear that laugh again.

Don physically shook his shoulders trying to cast off the anxious feeling that had settled over him. But the sensation was wrapped too tightly around his heart. He was totally caught off guard by the powerful onslaught of emotions that the memories from their almost fatal misadventure sent surging through him. Then he suddenly realized he hadn't let Charlie get more than a few hundred feet away from him since they left the hospital the day before yesterday. Abandoning his crutches, Don sat down hard in his chair. The metal crutch slid down the table and landed on the floor with a clatter.

"Don?"

Charlie walked back through the door, startled to see him sitting again.

"Are you okay?"

Don uttered a shuttering laugh.

"Okay? Yeah, I guess so."

Charlie's brow furrowed and he slid back into his chair across from Don.

"What the matter, Don? Do you think they may have the wrong guy?"

"No, Charlie. It's not that. I just…."

Don took a deep breath.

"I never got to tell you……"

Charlie tilted his head to the side in anticipation of his words and Don cleared his throat.

"You were really great out there. In the river. I'm just….I wanted you to know that…I'm just really……"

When Don quit struggling for the word he was looking for and started shaking his head, Charlie felt a fleeting moment of insecurity that only his older brother could evoke in him. He picked a good word to finish the sentence and threw it out into the silence of the room.

"Proud?"

"Yeah, Charlie."

Don pounced on the word, his face stone serious and his eyebrows knit tightly together.

"Yeah. Proud is a good word."

Charlie ran his hand through his hair. Unprepared for Don's atypically open articulation, he tried to respond.

"There was something I wanted to say too...…."

His impending sentiment was interrupted by the doorbell. Glancing out the window at the driveway, Charlie turned back to Don. He looked at his older brother, trying to decide if the doorbell could wait. But as someone began to bang their fist on the door, he saw Don's eyes flit toward the living room and Charlie sighed.

"I'll get it. It's David."

Charlie walked into the front room to answer the door and Don sighed as he reached for his fallen crutches.

_Authors Notes: Back to the business of the FBI……Oh, come on…we all knew Don couldn't stay away…….._

_Thanks for all your comments! Please continue to leave feedback, it's been very helpful as this story moves along!_

**Chapter Thirteen: Opening the Floodgates**


	13. Opening the Floodgates

**Chapter Thirteen: Opening the Floodgates**

Watching from the window as Don wrestled with his cast while climbing into the SUV's passenger seat, Charlie's mind wondered back to the moment his father had told him that Don was alive. His recollections of the near disaster were still fuzzy, but the doctor said that was normal for events surrounding a head injury, even a mild one. The memories were becoming clearer as the days passed. And now it was as if that same realization were hitting him again and Charlie felt an onslaught of relief that left his eyes feeling moist. Don was really okay. He had beaten incredible odds…not once, but twice, escaping a sinking car. He had almost been killed. They had both almost been killed.

Contemplating once again at how close he came to losing his brother's life; Charlie hadn't, until that moment, truly comprehended how close he had come to losing his own. Staring out the window as David pulled the black SUV out of the driveway; Charlie felt his knees start shaking.

"Charlie?"  
Alan's voice was muted by the kitchen door and Charlie was grateful for the extra moment to wipe the tears from his eyes and steady himself on his feet.

"Charlie. Stan and I are meeting with a client this afternoon, so I'm afraid you're on your own……."  
Stepping through the kitchen door, a dish towel in one hand and a wet dinner plate in the other, Alan stopped to look at his youngest son's back.  
"I'm sorry, Charlie. I shouldn't have said you'd go without asking you first. I figured……."

Turning away from the window, Charlie cleared his throat.  
"No, Dad. You're right. I should go. I need to get out of the house. "

He turned to face his father.  
"Besides, I didn't tell you that Kaitlyn…the girl……….."

Alan interrupted him.

"The one you where holding when you fell into the water?"

Charlie nodded in confirmation.

"She found me at the hospital before we checked out. She told me Hannah's birthday was this weekend and wanted to say thank you for making sure she got to turn six."

Charlie flashed an embarrassed smile at his father.  
"An eight year old made me blush."

Shaking his head, Alan walked back into the kitchen to put the dry plate away.  
"Well, Mrs. Whitney seemed very eager to meet you. I think Don kind of put up the blockade on that one until the FBI could figure out what was going on. And she was also disappointed that you got away from her without being properly thanked. You and Don….you saved her children's lives, Charlie. You should be very proud of that."

From through the swinging door, Alan's voice was loud and clear.  
"I know I am."  
………………………………...

Megan stepped away from the double paned glass window and made her way to the desk. Indicating the tall, thin stranger barricaded in the room with Colby, she turned to face Don where he stood in the doorway.

"His name is Nick Karney. Did five years in Sacramento for armed robbery…been out about six months."

"I don't know the guy, Megan. And I'm pretty sure Charlie doesn't either. Have you found any connection between him and the Whitney family or Ms. Damari?"

Megan shook her head solemnly.  
"If there is, we haven't found it yet. But we've only had him in custody for an hour, Don."

"How long has Colby been in there?"

"Just a few minutes."

She turned back to the monitor just in time to see Karney leap to his feet and slam his fist on the table.  
"I TOLD YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"Sit down, Mr. Karney."  
Seeing Colby take a threatening step forward, Megan turned her eyes back to Don. But he was no longer there, and his crutches were propped up against the wall next to the door.

Wondering how he managed to move so fast with a cast on his leg, Megan turned her head back to the double paned glass in time to see Don open the door and slide into the interrogation room.

"Mr. Karney."

The man looked up sullenly.  
"I'm not talking to anyone else."

Don leaned against the table next to the man so he could face him.

"Then shut up. I'll talk."

Glancing from Don to Colby, Nick Karney obeyed.

Nodding in approval of his choice, Don stood again.

"I would introduce myself, but I believe we've already met."

Upon his entry to the room, Don was careful not to display a limp. But as he walked around the room, he made a point of making his cast apparent. Pulling out the chair opposite the man, Don sat and propped his leg up on the table almost directly in front of the suspect.

"You may not remember me. But trust me, fella. I haven't forgotten you."

From behind the double paned glass, Megan almost laughed at the expression on their suspect's face.

Don had just pulled a classic bluff.

And from the looks of things, Mr. Nick Karney had taken the bait…hook, line and sinker.

The panic on his face was painfully obvious as he looked frantically from Don to the door. For a minute Colby wondered if the fool actually thought he might be able to overpower or outrun a building full of federal agents. Then the man's shoulders slumped and he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.

"I didn't know about the kids. Not until I saw it on the news. She was supposed to be in the car alone."

Leaning forward Don nodded his head, leading the man to continue.  
"Sophia Damari?"

"Who?"

Megan was surprised when Don jumped to his feet and in an effort to move quickly almost tripped over his cast. Meeting him in the hallway, Megan grabbed Don's arm.

"Slow down, Eppes. What's going on?"

"I've got to talk to…………"  
His sentence was interrupted when David rounded the corner with none other than Robert Whitney two steps behind him.

"Don. Mr. Whitney……"

The arrogant attorney cut off the agent and doubled his pace toward Don.  
"I want to talk to them."

Megan and Don exchanged a discerning glance as Mr. Whitney continued down the hall.  
"I know you have a suspect in custody and I want to talk to them."

As Colby stepped from the interrogation room, Mr. Whitney zeroed in on the familiar face. As he attempted to step past Don, the senior agent put out his arm effectively close lining the lawyer across the chest.  
"HEY! What's the big….."

"Mr. Whitney."  
Don narrowed his eyes at him.  
"Can you tell me why someone would want your wife dead?"

"Allison?"

Colby stepped up behind them and whispered into Don's ear.  
"There's no doubt Mrs. Whitney was the target. The BMW was her personal car….and the suspect confirmed it. But he won't identify who he was working for or the other driver. He's done. He just asked for his lawyer."

Looking intently at the man in front of him, Don tried to read the multitude of emotions that seemed to play across the attorney's face.

"Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see……...what kind of monster would try to kill three little girls? And……….what's this about Allison?"

When Mr. Whitney continued to stare at him looking confused, Don decided to risk going all in. Turning back to the adjacent room, Don spoke over his shoulder.  
"Follow me."

Leading Mr. Whitney through the door, Don waited until David, Megan and Colby were circled around behind him before he continued.

"This is the guy, Robert."

He indicated the man visible on the monitor.

"Do you…….."

Mr. Whitney shook his head before Don even asked the question.  
"I don't know him. I'm never seen him before. Why would he want to hurt my family?"

"I was really hoping you could tell me."

The man looked at Don in shock, shaking his head in disbelief.  
"You don't honestly think I had something to do with….with trying to kill my…my own children?"

"Can you tell me why that would be an unreasonable suspicion?"

"YES! Because I love my children!"

"And do you love your wife, Mr. Whitney?"

His eyes darted from Don to the ceiling as if he were searching for an adequate lie.  
"I don't see what this has to do with………."

Don didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence.

"Just cut the crap Whitney. How do you know him?"

This time Don didn't even wait for a response.

"He was after your wife, man. Can you tell me why?"

"I don't know him!"

"His name is Nick Karney. Does that ring any bells for you?"

When Robert Whitney lifted his head to look at Don, a look of stunned realization had materialized on his face.

"Karney?"

Don took in the man's expression and took one more stab at getting him to acknowledge any involvement in the accident.

"That's right. Nick Karney. And he let a few things slip before he asked for his lawyer."

Robert Whitney looked simultaneously angry, surprised, confused and maybe a little…….hurt. It was the hurt expression that set off Don's radar and made him do a complete one eighty.

"Whitney? Where have you heard his name before? Who would know this man that would want to hurt your family?"

Sitting down in one of the chairs, Robert leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

"She has a brother named Nicholas."

Dropping his accusatory tone of voice Don leaned against the table.

"Who is she, Whitney?

"Her name is Tabitha. Tabitha Karney. She was my wife's assistant. When Allison still clerked at my office. Then she was my assistant. I……"  
He stopped to swallow hard.

Don glanced at Megan and she nodded. Acknowledging an unspoken order, she turned and left the room.

Still staring at the floor, the embarrassment was evident in Mr. Whitney's voice.  
"I had an affair with her."

Nodding knowingly, Don prompted him to continue.

"How long?"

"Almost two years. Allison never found out."

"What happened?"

Mr. Whitney lifted his eyes to look at the group of federal agents surrounding him.  
"I loved her. But…I loved my wife too. And Tabitha gave me an ultimatum. Her or Allie."

He shifted in his seat.  
"We'd just had our third baby not that long ago. I…I wanted to…I wanted to do the right thing. Try to start over. So I told her I loved her…but I had three good reasons to stay with my wife. Kaitlyn and Hannah…and …….and now Madison. As long as they were there, I had to do my best to make it work. I really though she understood that."

For a man who spent his career convincing people of things, Mr. Whitney didn't seem too confident in his assertion.

"Mr. Whitney. How did she handle it."

"I thought……."  
He shook his head and looked at the floor.  
"She didn't. Not well. I thought she might tell Allie…but she never did. She quit her job less than a week after I broke it off."

Megan reentered the room and Don raised his eyebrows at her as he continued to address Mr. Whitney.  
"And how long ago was this?"

Megan nodded at Don in response to his silent question as the man answered his spoken one.

"About three months ago, I guess."

Pulling himself to his feet, Don grabbed his crutches from where he had left them propped against the wall when he had first entered the room.  
"I guess she decided if she removed the extra variables from the equation, she would still get the desired result."

Colby smirked at Don's use of the common 'Charlie-ism' and re-interpreted the notion in layman's terms.  
"Your little chippie thought if she took out your whole family, you'd come running back to her."

Mr. Whitney's mouth dropped open as the truth sunk in.  
"Tabitha tried to kill…….Oh, God. Tabby and her brother tried to kill my babies?"

David stepped forward.  
"It looks like the girls weren't the target, Mr. Whitney. They thought your wife was alone in the car."

"That's…..No. I don't think so."

Robert shook his head emphatically and Don turned back to face him.  
"What do you mean? Did Sophia usually pick up the girls?"

"No…no, not usually. The party planner was coming over. Allison wanted everything planned out in advance for Hannah's birthday, so she sent Sophia."

The man sighed and clasped his hands in front of his chest.  
"But this is the first time she's ever done that. Allison has kept this schedule with the kids since before Maddy as born. Kaitlyn has ballet with a private instructor on Wednesday afternoons. Allie would always pick her up and then we'd meet at Ozario's for dinner. It's been our PR ritual for almost three years."

Don's brow furrowed as he processed the information.  
"And Tabitha knew this?"

"Oh, yeah. She even went with her once or twice to take dictation while she was driving. I told you, she was Allison's assistant."

Colby crossed his arms and stared at the man who was now being led from the interrogation room by Agent Ardeljan.  
"I wonder what Mr. Karney would say if he knew his sister really had intended for him to help her kill three little girls in cold blood."

The phone rang and Megan lurched over the desk to grab the receiver as if she had been expecting the call.

"This is Reeves."

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let LAPD know to keep their eyes open for the SUV and keep a man on her house. Let me know if she turns up."

Hanging up the phone, Megan turned to Don.  
"I sent a car to Tabitha Karney's apartment. She's not there. Her neighbors said she left about an hour ago in a blue SUV. We're assuming it's the one we didn't find in Mr. Karney's garage."

"Damn."  
Don's face was brooding and Megan could almost swear she could see the well oiled wheels turning behind his eyes.  
"Where do you think she went, Don."

The thoughtful expression on the senior agents face was quickly replaced with one of horrifying realization.  
"Megan."

He had gotten his crutches under his arms and was heading for the door.  
"She's going to finish what she started."  
………………………………

_Authors Notes: AH HA HA HA HA… (Consider this is maniacal laughter.)_

_I love cliffhangers. Have you noticed?_

_I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try not to make you wait to long for the next one._

_**Try **being the operative word!_

_Thank you for your comments! I'd love to keep hearing from all of you!_

**Chapter Fourteen: Come Hell or High Water **


	14. Come Hell or High Water

**Chapter Fourteen: Come Hell or High Water  
**  
"Doctor Eppes?"

Charlie turned to see Mrs. Allison Whitney floating across the penthouse roof in his direction, a petite woman with chestnut brown hair on her arm.

"I want you to meet Tabitha Karney. She used to work for Robert."

The tall elegant looking blond woman stopped in front of him, a hostesses smile plastered on her face.

"Tabitha, this is Doctor Charles Eppes."

Another woman who had been introduced as Allison's mother-in-law had been hovering nearby and she quickly stepped up next to him. Putting her arm around his shoulders possessively, she pulled Charlie toward her in a sideways hug, squeezing him tightly.  
"He and his brother are the reason I am still able to go on living."

The overly dramatic introduction left Charlie feeling a little conspicuous and the strong odor of scotch on the older woman's breath actually made him feel a little light headed. Despite his discomfort, Charlie turned toward the new arrival and offered a friendly smile.  
"You can call me Charlie. I only make my grad students call me Doctor Eppes."

Extending her hand in his direction, Tabitha pulled her arm away from Allison Whitney. Although her voice was friendly, she didn't return the smile.  
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet one of the heroic Eppes brothers I read about in the paper."

Charlie, in turn, pulled away from the elder Mrs. Whitney's tight grasp. Lifting the cast on his right arm slightly to apologize for the awkward handshake, he used his left hand to clasp hers lightly.  
"Don't believe everything you read in the paper. My brother is the hero. I teach applied mathematics."

Mrs. Whitney, the mother-in-law, erupted into an over exaggerated bout of laughter.  
"Oh Doctor Eppes, you are just too modest. And far too attractive. Are you married?"

Trying not to act taken aback by the older woman's flirtations Charlie just smiled and remained silent.

"I guess I picked the perfect day to drop by."  
Tabitha Karney sounded somewhat annoyed by the proceedings and Allison looked from Charlie to her mother-in-law, a slight hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"Yes. You did, Tabitha. You will stay won't you?"

The younger woman shook her head.  
"Oh, I didn't come here to impose on you, Allison."

"Of course you didn't, dear."  
The mother-in-law interrupted the exchange.  
"Well, I insist you at least stay for a cocktail. The kids are having cake and punch…the grownups get something a little stronger."

From the cockamamie grin on her face, Charlie wondered how many drinks she'd had before the party had begun. He instantly wondered if a full bar was a normal staple at a children's birthday party in Hollywood and he smirked to himself at the thought. The party was just getting up to full speed and the kids were inside beating the crap out of piñata that didn't seem to want to break. Through the plate glass doors and windows that kept the penthouse open to the rooftop balcony, Charlie could see the oldest of the Whitney girls taking her shot at busting the piñata open. Seeing Kaitlyn fully recovered from their traumatic dip in the river brought a smile to Charlie's face and he let his gaze linger on the revelry inside the penthouse. Most of the adults were milling around the bar inside and were watching Sophia Damari as she encouraged each child to hit the piñata harder. Picking up his glass from the nearby table and downing the rest of his Perrier, Charlie wondered if he should have accepted the offer for an actual drink-drink. He looked at the empty highball glass in the older woman's hand. Misinterpreting his glance as a longing for refill, she snatched the glass from his hand and headed back into the penthouse.  
"Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

As the older woman exited the balcony, Charlie had to fight to sustain an amused chuckle as he imagined getting a vodka tonic in place of his water and lime.

But Allison Whitney looked as if she were about to cry.  
"I'm so sorry, Charlie. My mother-in-law is a bit of a lush. Most of our guests are accustomed to her outbursts…and her tactless pursuit of younger men."

Tabitha Karney put her arm around the woman's shoulders. Her embrace looked friendly, but her tone was anything but.  
"Some things never change, Allie."

She turned her head to Charlie.  
"But if you're into older women, she _is_ loaded. Just like her son."  
From the dramatic change in the woman's voice, Charlie suddenly felt as if he had been transported from the land of wine and roses to the middle of a long running soap opera. And he was completely lost.

And apparently, so was Allison Whitney. She pulled away from the younger woman and took a step back.  
"What's going on, Tabitha? We haven't seen you in three months. What do you want."

"It should have been mine, Allison. All of it. It should have been mine."  
The younger woman's phrase had no immediate meaning for Charlie but Allison's eyes suddenly opened widely and she gasped.  
"You bitch. I always knew it….I didn't want to believe, but I always knew."

Charlie took a step back, shocked at the sudden outburst of hostility between the two women. Being in the middle of a cat fight wasn't his idea of a good time and Charlie turned toward the door.  
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should go inside……….."

"NO."  
Tabitha's elevated voice cut him off.  
"This concerns you too."

Trying to imagine how a petty fight between a Hollywood lawyer's wife and one of his ex-employees could possibly involve him, Charlie turned back to the pair.  
"Ladies, I think you need to just take a deep breath…."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"  
Charlie jumped at her belligerent eruption, cringing at the malicious tone in the woman's voice.  
"Just shut up. It's good you're here…its good. It's good."

She ran her hand through her hair in an almost vicious fashion.  
"You weren't supposed to be here. But no…no….this is better. I can still do this. I still have to do this."

The woman was almost chanting now, sounding as if she were trying desperately to convince herself of something and Charlie suddenly found himself feeling almost afraid of this woman whom he had just met.  
"I'm sorry. But I don't have anything to do with whatever…."

His words seemed to yank her back to reality and she cut him off.  
"Oh, no. You do. You see, things should have turned out so differently. Everything would have been fine if your brother….he was driving, right? If he'd just passed the damn car and gotten out of my way."

Her words sent an electric current of fear through Charlie and he stared at her in astonishment.

He had just found the other driver.

Unsure of what to do next, Charlie took a step away from the woman.

"Don't."  
Her single word warning wouldn't have stopped him if it hadn't been for the small .22 caliber pistol that suddenly appeared in her hand.  
"You should have let them drown."

She turned to Allison with her jaw clenched.  
"Do you really think Robert would have stayed with you without the children?"

Tabitha Karney's voice developed a hysterical pitch as she continued to rant.  
"Would he still love you if they were gone?"

Allison was staring at the younger woman in shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tabitha slapped her hard across the face.  
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE CAR, YOU STUPID BITCH! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

"Mommy?"

A timid voice from nearby turned all three of their heads. Kaitlyn Whitney was standing just few feet away. The child was holding tightly to her baby sister and looking in confusion from her mother to Tabitha Karney.

Charlie eyes darted from the gun in the frenzied woman's hand to the young girl standing nearby. When Kaitlyn had spoken, the startled woman had shifted her body in that direction and now the gun to pointing directly at the child.

Charlie felt his heart go from beating double time to triple time. This was about to get very bad. An intense feeling of dread rose up in his throat as he tried to comprehend the motive that had led this woman to this moment in time. She had maliciously planned to murder these kids and according to her last statement, their mother as well. Now she was standing in their house, in front of a witness, with a gun.

It wasn't hard to determine her intentions.

And if it could ever have been said that someone had gone off the deep end; this woman was in a nose dive and quickly reaching terminal velocity.

Having never seen proof of telepathy and not being able to mathematically prove the probability of its existence, Charlie had never been a believer. But that didn't stop him from trying to project a single thought in the direction of downtown Los Angeles.

_I need some help here, Don. _

Tabitha Karney had come here to kill these children…and their mother too. The sight of this obviously psychotic woman holding a gun terrified him, but he knew he couldn't just let stand there and watch it happen.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie gathered up the courage to open his mouth.

"Ms. Karney…"

………………………………

_Authors Notes: Thank you all so much for your comments! _

**Chapter Fifteen: Do You Feel Like Swimming? **


	15. Do You Feel Like Swimming?

**Chapter Fifteen: Do You Feel Like Swimming?  
**  
"Come on, Charlie. Answer your phone."

After waiting for three more rings, Don slammed the phone shut in frustration.

Once he got the SUV on the straight stretch of Highway Ten, David punched the gas. He turned his attention away from the road to glance at his boss.

"Colby and Megan were way ahead of us, Don. They should be there by now."

Shaking his head, Don smashed his fist into the dash of the SUV.  
"Damn it. How did I not see this coming? We should have had an agent on the Whitney family from the very beginning."

Bringing the SUV off the South La Cienega Boulevard exit, David hit the lights and sirens before merging into traffic.  
"Don. There's no way any of us could have known." 

Putting the palm of his hand against his forehead, Don took a deep breath.  
"I should have known. I should have guessed." 

David maneuvered the SUV though a red light as he tried to reassure Don.  
"It's a party, right? So the place will be crowded."

Putting one hand behind his neck Don sighed.   
"She was willing to drive two cars off a bridge to get this guy all to herself. She blew it the first time. I don't think a room full of people is going to stop her now."

David shook his head, his expression reflecting uncertainty.  
"Wouldn't she realize that once he knows what she tried to do...….."

"She's too far gone for that to matter."  
Don glanced at the road ahead of them.  
"It's left on Holloway."

Yanking the wheel sharply to the left, David almost missed the turn.  
"She may have just skipped town, Don. We don't even know if she's headed for the Whitney's."

"No. We do. When you 'love' someone enough to kill their wife and three kids………..you don't just give up and leave town."

The two agents exchanged glances and David gave a subtle nod.

"I'm sure Charlie's fine, Don. Hell, he probably didn't even go."

Don shook his head with certainly.  
"No. He went. There's his car." 

As they pulled up next to the luxurious apartment building, Don pointed out Charlie's small two door coupe in the limited parking on the street. Charlie didn't like to drive and the economical automobile spent most of it's time hidden behind the garage.

Parked at the rear of the car was a dark blue Tahoe with the front bumper smashed in.

Don grabbed his phone and hit number two on his speed dial.  
"Megan? She's in there. And so is Charlie."

Her voice was strong and steady in his ear.   
"We're in the elevator, Don. We'll go as far up as we can without the key. But then we'll have to take the stairs up to the penthouse."

"David's calling for backup, we'll cover the front."

Praying that Charlie was nowhere near this psycho bitch when Megan and Colby got to the roof, Don hesitated before he hung up his phone.  
"Megan."

He didn't even have to ask a question or give an order before Megan replied.   
"You got it."   
………………………………... 

Putting his left hand out in front of his chest, Charlie took a step toward Tabitha. Just as he expected her to, she reacted by swinging the pistol in his direction.

"Don't come any closer!"

Taking advantage of the distraction Charlie provided, Allison stepped sideways to put herself between her two children and the woman holding the weapon. With her hands behind her she grabbed her oldest daughter's shoulders and pulled her up close to her back.

Tabitha swung the gun back at Allison.  
"Damn it! Stop moving!"

Charlie started to take another step toward her, hoping to redirect the gun again, but the elder Mrs. Whitney chose that moment to return with Charlie's drink. She opened the door and waltzed onto the balcony.

Any hope of talking Tabitha Karney down from the proverbial ledge she was balanced on was gone when Mrs. Whitney spotted the gun in her hand. She opened up her mouth and released a scream that the horror queens of cinema would be proud of. Dropping the glass in her hand, the older woman's shriek ended abruptly as she fell to the ground in a dead faint.

The party came to screeching halt as everyone inside the penthouse froze. Charlie could see the panic in Tabitha's eyes as she swung the gun in a wide arch. She hesitated as it passed in front of Allison and her children.

Without thinking, Charlie took that second step.  
"Tabitha, don't" 

She instantly swung the gun in his direction again.  
"WHY THE HELL NOT, HUH?"

Knowing that two years ago he might have actually peed his pants in a situation like this, Charlie was surprised at the boldness of his own actions. Trying not to focus on the gun pointed at his chest, Charlie looked around at everyone who was still hovering in sight of the conflict. Several people inside were clearing the children out into a back room and Charlie could see a straight path through the penthouse to the elevator doors. Despite the fear that this unstable individual evoked in him, Charlie took another step forward trying to imagine what Don would say to her. 

"Because nothing is worth this?"

"That's where you're wrong. This…."  
She motioned around her.  
"This is all I ever wanted."

Terrified of saying the wrong thing, Charlie forced himself to keep up his end of the conversation. Don would try to keep her talking.  
"And this is how you're going to get it?"

"Yes! NO! I…..I DON'T KNOW!"  
Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked intently at Charlie.  
"He'll find out now, won't he? He'll never forgive me. Robert was never supposed to know. He would have thought it was an accident."

Her voice was hushed and mournful and she began to sob softly. Her attention was fully focused on Charlie now, and Tabitha didn't notice as Allison slowly started backing up, ushering her daughter further away from the scene.

Charlie tried to remember the times he had seen Don talking to witnesses, and sometimes suspects. The way he handled things…..the way he would try to let them know or make them think he was on their side. The elevator doors again got his attention and Charlie had a sudden burst of inspiration.

"Tabitha, I think we should leave." 

"What?"  
She blinked several times as if coming out of a trance.

Convinced that the main focus should be getting her and that gun as far away from the Whitney's as possible, Charlie tried again a little more forcefully than before.  
"I think we should leave. Come on. I'll walk you out, okay?"

She nodded her head slowly, looking puzzled.  
"Yes. You're right. I wouldn't want him to see me like this. I shouldn't be here right now."

"Right."   
Charlie took a step, toward the door this time, moving slowly.   
"Come on."

Almost like a lost dog tailing someone home, Tabitha followed Charlie towards the back door of the penthouse. Carefully stepping over the crumpled body of the inebriated matron on the floor, Charlie turned to back himself through the door. If she was going to crack and just start shooting, he wanted to at least see it coming.

The room cleared as they entered; those who had dared to stay and watch ducking into side rooms to stay out of the line of fire. With his heart pounding, Charlie reached around behind him with his left hand and hit the button that would call the elevator to the penthouse level. Facing the disturbed woman as she stopped almost directly in front of him Charlie tried to focus on her face rather than the gun that was now aimed at his stomach. Watching her eyes, he was startled to see them shift as if they were just coming into focus. She shook her head and glanced around the room.

"They won't let me just walk out of here, you know."

Trying to get her attention focused back on him, Charlie decided to continue his attempt to keep her talking.  
"You haven't hurt anybody here today, Tabitha." 

She shook her head frantically.  
"That doesn't matter!"

The soft, confused voice was gone now and an angry assertiveness had taken it's place.  
"I hurt Robert! He's the only one that matters!" 

Charlie could see the woman literally coming unraveled. The hysterical pitch of her voice was almost as frightening as the gun she still had leveled at him.  
"I have to get out of here." 

It was the only thing she had said that made sense and Charlie nodded quickly in agreement. If he could just keep things calm around them, he might be able to at least get her out of the penthouse and away from the family she wanted so desperately to destroy.

Then something happened that he had not anticipated.   
The bathroom door just down the hall from the elevator opened and Hannah Whitney walked out. The child was singing to herself and didn't even look up as she walked into the main room.

"Hannah!"   
Allison Whitney's voice echoed through the room from where she was standing in the balcony doorway and the little girl froze in her tracks.

The sound of the mother's frantic voice seemed to push Tabitha over the edge. She took two steps forward and shoved the gun into Charlie's chest. Her sudden burst of aggression caught him off guard and he gasped, taking a step back.

"Pick her up!" 

Shaking his head, Charlie looked at the little girl.  
"No. You don't need………."

"I SAID, PICK HER UP!"   
Tabitha was screaming each word at the top of her lungs.

Trying to keep his legs from shaking Charlie turned his eyes back to the gun shoved into his chest.

"O..okay." 

The woman stepped to the side and shoved the weapon into Charlie's ribs. Taking a step forward, Charlie hoped that Hannah wouldn't try to run. The now six year old looked startled, but made no move to flee from him. Her eyes went from him to the gun and then back again. She obviously knew just what a gun was and just what it could do. Meeting the child's eyes, Charlie nodded at her and she nodded back. As Charlie picked her up with his good arm, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Hannah, noooooo…….."  
Allison's wailing voice cut through him as he tightened his one armed grip around Hannah's back.

It seemed that the more upset those around her got the more hysterical that the gun toting woman became.  
"Shut up! Just shut up!"

"Mommy?"   
The child was even more confused and frightened by the tone of her mother's voice and she turned her head to find her mother's face.  
"Mommy?"

The elevator opened in front of them and Tabitha shoved the gun hard into Charlie's back prompting him to step in.

"TABITHA! PLEASE….NO!"  
Allison made her way toward the elevator as the doors closed, but Tabitha paid no attention to her.

Just as the doors slid shut, Charlie heard several sounds at once.

There was a bang like a door being slammed open.

And a familiar masculine voice rang out in the room.  
"FBI……don't move." 

Then the door sealed and the elevator began its downward journey.

"Colby."

Charlie said the agent's name out loud knowing full well it was too late now. Hoping he knew FBI procedure as well as he thought he did, Charlie began to play over the possible scenarios when they reached the lobby and from there, the parking lot.

There would be agents down there, agents who knew him. Don might even be here if Colby was. Megan and David too.

And Tabitha was right about one thing.

There was no way in hell they were going to let her walk out of here.

………………………………

**Chapter Sixteen: How Long Can You Hold Your Breath? **


	16. How Long Can You Hold Your Breath?

**Chapter Sixteen: How Long Can You Hold Your Breath? **

Stepping through the lobby doors, crutches forgotten, Don headed for the elevators.

"_She's on her way down, Don. Central elevator. She's armed." _

_"Okay, we'll be………."_

_"Don…."_

_He knew before Megan had said it._

_"Charlie's with her. One of the girls too."_

David's authoritative voice rang out into the plush lobby, cutting through Don's mental replay of the phone conversation.

"FBI………WE NEED THIS ROOM CLEAR!"

The uniformed staff behind the desk stared at David as if he were speaking a foreign language.

Grateful that he had given in to Charlie's suggestion and slit the leg of his jeans so he could get them over his cast, Don put his hand on the butt of the pistol that was now holstered on the waist of his sturdy denim pants.

He lifted his badge high into the air and shouted at a group of Hollywood socialites in the corner.

"LADIES, WE ARE FEDERAL AGENTS AND WE ARE ABOUT TO APREHEND AN ARMED SUSPECT. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE HERE WHEN WE DO!"

A man in a blue security guard uniform stepped up. Glancing at their badges, he gestured to the rooms occupants.  
"Come on; let's give these men the room."

He began to usher the staff and the group of offended looking women who had been lounging on the posh furniture toward a back room and Don glanced at the gun on the guard's belt. The last thing they needed was a trigger happy rent-a-cop involved in this. But the guard took Don's comment to mean him to, and he exited the room along with everyone else.

David stopped next to Don about twenty feet away from the center elevator's doors and the two agents exchanged a quick glance. Lifting his eyes to the old fashioned dial above the sliding double doors, Don began the countdown of the floors as the arrow passed each number.

_Ten_.

Both agents pulled their weapons from their holsters.

_Nine_.

Grasping his right wrist with his left hand to steady his aim, Don tried not to dwell on who he was going to see when those doors opened.

_Eight_.

David's phone rang and he flipped it open.

_Seven_.

Listening without speaking, David slammed his phone shut.

_Six_.

"Colby is on his way back down, Megan is holding in the penthouse in case they go back up."

_Five_.

Don nodded without taking his eyes off the dial.

_Four_.

David turned back toward the elevator and readjusted the weapon that was firmly grasped in his left hand.

_Three_.

Hoping he could remain calm seeing his brother held at gun point, Don took a deep breath and held it.

_Two_.

Slowly exhaling, Don flipped the safety off on his weapon.

_One_.

The chime that signaled the elevator's arrival rang through the lobby and the doors slid open.

The first thing Don saw was Charlie. His brother was standing directly centered in front of the doors. The Whitney's middle child had her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in the front of his shirt. The chestnut brown hair of Tabitha Karney was visible just over Charlie's shoulder.

Don met his brother's eyes and to his surprise they were much calmer than he had expected. But a flash of fear and panic were revealed when the woman jammed the gun into his ribs, prompting him to move forward.

Charlie would never have been able to describe the relief he felt when he initially saw Don standing between them and the door to the building. He tried to focus on his brother's face as Tabitha crammed the gun into his side as he walked forward. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could almost hear Don's voice. _Just trust me, Charlie. _

Don let them clear the elevator, waiting until the doors began to slide shut before he opened his mouth.  
"Ms. Karney….back away and put your hands where I can see them."

When Don spoke, Charlie stopped their slow progression forward. This time when Tabitha shoved the gun into his ribs, Charlie didn't move.

"WALK!"

Charlie was focused on his brother's face and he didn't miss the subtle shake of Don's head. Swallowing hard and hoping he wasn't about to find out what it felt like to be shot, Charlie shifted the child to his side so she was resting on his left hip. He didn't want the bullet to pass through him and hit the girl. Putting his faith in his brother's judgment and pushing back the terror that was coursing through him, Charlie shook his head.

"No."

"I SAID MOVE, DAMN IT."

The woman's voice had crossed the border of hysterical and Charlie couldn't help but suck in a deep breath, gasping as the gun was crammed even further into his back.

He didn't take his eyes off his brother.

Watching Don's face for any sign of self doubt and finding none, Charlie kept his feet firmly planted in one place. Now Don was openly shaking his head. Charlie watched as Don's gaze flitted toward the stairwell door, then back at him.

Determined to follow his brother's instruction, Charlie gritted his teeth.

"NO."

"TABITHA!"  
Don's voice was confident and clear; his words spoken as a command.  
"Put the weapon down and let them go."

The woman stepped around Charlie's side, and shifted the gun so it was visible to the two agents.  
"Get out of our way. I have to leave now."

David remained silent, but Charlie noticed the agent take several swift steps in their direction, his eyes moving to the stairwell door opposite his position, just as Don had done.

Don took two quick steps forward to keep the woman's attention on him.

It worked.

She shoved the gun into Charlie's back again, this time making him wince as the cold steel was pressed into his kidney.

"DON'T MOVE! I'LL KILL 'EM! I'LL KILL 'EM BOTH!"

Shaking his head at the young woman, Don took one step back. Afraid he may have pushed her too far; he carefully dropped his gun hand to his side, while lifting his left hand into the air.

"Now you don't want to do that, Tabitha."

"YES I DO!"

The words were screamed into the room and the voice barely sounded human. Trying to imagine what level of psychosis this woman was suffering from, Don turned his eyes to his colleague. David had moved forward and slightly closer to the woman's left side, remaining at an angle. As he turned his gaze to his own left, he could see Colby emerging from the stairwell in a low crouch.

It was now or never.  
Just as Don opened his mouth, another voice sounded from behind him.

"Tabitha, what the hell have you done?"

"Daddy?"  
The little girl raised her head from Charlie's shoulder and twisted to look towards the front of the room.

Taking two steps sideways before he turned so he could keep the suspect in his field of vision, Don could see Robert Whitney standing in the doorway of the lobby.

"WHITNEY! Step back."

The terrified voice of his daughter had pulled him forward, but the ferocity of Don's instructions startled the man and he obeyed. But his presence in the room had already done its damage.

"Bobby?"

"Daddy!"

For the first time since she had gotten off of the elevator, Tabitha Whitney's voice was soft and low.

And Hannah's became high pitched and panic-stricken.

The child began to squirm and Charlie tried to calm her. Working to pull his right arm from the sling that kept his cast close to his body; he began to pat the child gently on the back.

"Shhh… hang on, Honey. It's okay."

It seemed that her experience from the river had instilled a blind faith in Charlie and the child stopped struggling to get down, but she kept her head forward and her eyes on her father.

"Bobby. I'm so sorry."  
Tabitha's volume may have decreased, but the underlying hysteria seemed to have actually grown in her voice regardless of her pitch.  
"I'm so sorry, Bobby. I just wanted us to be together."

Don turned to the attorney and nodded his head as a new plan to disarm the woman played through his mind.

Taking the hint, Robert Whitney took several tentative steps forward into the room.  
"Tabby, I want you to let Doctor Eppes put Hannah down, okay?"

She shook her head in an over exaggerated fashion that clued the whole room in to her current level of hysteria.

"No, no, no. Bobby, I just can't."

"Ms. Karney….you have to."  
Praying to God that his intuition was still as sharp as always; Don nodded to Charlie and tilted his head toward David.  
"Put her down, Charlie."

Readjusting his grip around Hannah's waist, Charlie whispered something in the girl's ear and leaned forward placing the child's feet on the floor. She ran quickly towards David and he snatched her up into his arms and ducked into an alcove.

The woman had kept the gun planted in Charlie's back while he sat the girl down. As Charlie started to straighten back up, Tabitha began to shake her head slowly. She was almost acting as if she had blinked and missed the whole thing; unsure of how one of her hostages had just vanished. As David stepped slowly back out of the alcove, Hannah safely out of the line of fire, Tabitha tilted her head slightly and moved her eyes to the back of the room where the man who had crushed her fragile psyche was standing.  
"It's really over, isn't it Bobby?"

The man shook his head at her and a tear ran down his cheek.  
"Yeah, Tabby…it's over."

The young woman began to cry softly and Don took another step forward.

"Put the gun down, Tabitha."

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she made no effort to step away from Charlie. When she looked up at Don, he could see a fire in her eyes that set off every intuitive alarm he had.

"I could have had all of this…..you and your brother…..you took all of this from me."

She had kept her gun planted deep in Charlie's back and as she spoke, her right shoulder tensed up as she twisted the weapon up into his ribs.

It seemed like everyone in the room realized her intentions at the exact same moment in time.

The next few seconds passed in a blur of confusion.

Taking a step forward Charlie jerked his right arm back, shoving the elbow of his cast hard into Tabitha Karney's solar plexus; just as Robert Whitney rushed forward into the room.

"TABBY! NO!"

At the simultaneous moment that Charlie's elbow made contact with Tabitha's stomach, Colby hit him around the middle in a solid linebacker's tackle. In the same instant, Don brought his weapon back up in front of his chest and David dropped into a classic shooters stance.

Then the sound of multiple guns discharging, almost in unison, filled the lobby.

1

1

_Authors Notes: Opps. I did it again. And not only did I leave you with a cliffhanger. I'm leaving you here the whole weekend. _

_I'm dreadfully sorry, but I'm being forced against my will to spend the weekend on the beach. _

_Yes, my arm is being twisted. _

_But before you project any envy in my direction, know that I will be there with my in-laws, their two 12 year old Retrievers, my husband, my five year old and my puppy, a 12 month old Corgi. _

_I really do feel terrible about this. _

_Really. _

_I do. _

**Chapter Seventeen: ****Kicking for the Surface **


	17. Kicking For the Surface

**Chapter Seventeen: Kicking For the Surface**

The air rushed out of him as Charlie slammed into floor, sliding several feet on the polished hardwood. Colby rolled his body, landing awkwardly on his side to avoid smashing the professor with his full weight. And Tabitha Karney hit the floor like she had been dropped from the ceiling.

A single moment of absolute silence filled the room and it seemed as if everyone were holding their breath.

Then suddenly, the spell was broken.

David moved forward, keeping his gun leveled at the suspect as he approached her. She stared at him looking disoriented and she didn't move as he kicked the .22 caliber pistol farther away from her outstretched arm. He could see two oozing bullet wounds in her right shoulder where both he and Don had hit her. The perfect shot to disarm a suspect. Reaching around his back, David pulled his cuffs out of their case on the back of his belt. She was wounded, but he wasn't going risk leaving her un-cuffed. He lifted his eyes to where Colby and Charlie had hit the floor as he began to read the still conscious woman her Miranda Rights.

Don reached the spot just as Colby pushed himself up onto his knees, his right arm wrapped around his ribs. Charlie rolled off of his side, staying on his back, staring at the ceiling and trying to catch his breath.

Sparing a glance for the younger agent, Don raised an eyebrow in a silent question and Colby nodded dismissively to let his boss know he was fine.

Despite the cast on the lower part of his left leg, Don managed to kneel on the floor next to his brother.

"You okay, Buddy?"

Charlie took a shuttering breath, unsure of how to answer. He felt like running his hands over his body to check for any unnatural holes, but he resisted the urge.

Don however could not.

He pulled the flaps of Charlie's jacket aside and then he ran his hands over the back of Charlie's head, checking for blood.

"Are you hurt?"

Charlie looked up at Don's furrowed brow and concerned eyes, but still couldn't bring himself to answer verbally, so he just shook his head.

"Charlie?"

Nodding slightly at his older brother, Charlie started to move and Don grabbed his left arm and helped him into a sitting position.

Once David had Tabitha Karney in handcuffs, Robert Whitney had wasted no time rushing around the group and into the alcove where David had hidden his daughter. He walked back into the center of the room with Hannah holding tightly to his neck and sobbing. Only then did he stop to look at the woman who had tried to kill his family. She lifted her eyes to him as if expecting him to say something, but he chose to remain silent. Shaking his head in disbelief, he moved to the corner of the room and turned away from scene. Dropping onto one of the fluffy sofas, he held tightly to his daughter murmuring reassurances to the child under his breath.

Movement from the stairwell door got his attention and David jerked his head around to see Megan standing there with her weapon drawn.  
"Everybody okay?"

David shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed his phone and made the call for an ambulance and Megan moved over to where Colby remained kneeling on the floor next to Don and Charlie.

"You alright, Granger?"

Megan put her hand out and Colby grabbed it, grateful for some help in pulling himself to his feet. Brushing his pants legs off and straightening his jacket around his broad shoulders, Colby nodded.

"Fine. Just hit the floor funny, that's all."

He jerked his head in Charlie's direction.  
"What about him? He okay?"

Pulling his eyes away from Charlie, Don lifted his head to look at the other agents.  
"I think so."

As Don rose to his feet, a sharp pain in his lower leg reminded him of the cast he was wearing. Wishing he had his crutches now, Don reached out his hand for his brother.  
"Can you stand?"

Nodding, Charlie extended his left arm and Don pulled him swiftly to his feet. Charlie's knees buckled and he staggered a little, but Don grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Nodding, Charlie turned to look at Colby in admiration. Pain was searing up his arm from his elbow and his right side ached as if he had been hit by a two hundred pound linebacker. Which is essentially what had happened. In fact, his arm beneath his cast was pounding and aching as if it were a fresh break. As he tentatively tried to readjust his cast back into the sling around his neck without wincing from the pain, Charlie finally managed to get words to come out of his mouth.

"That………….was a hell of a tackle, Granger."

Hearing Charlie speak seemed to release some of Don's pent up anxiety. A loud exhale of relief escaped him and Don grasped Colby firmly by the shoulder in an expressive gesture of gratitude.  
"Yes, it was."

The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance and Don lowered his eyes to look at his brother again.

"I'm okay, Don."

With that reassurance, Don limped over to where David stood next to their bleeding suspect. Biting his lip against the increasing pain in his leg, Don stopped to look at Tabitha Karney.

"We both get her?"

"Yeah. Two hits, right shoulder."

Glancing at the floor, Don noticed a small bullet casing not far from the injured woman. Picking up the palm sized pistol from the floor, Don lifted it to his nose.

"She did fire. I wasn't sure if…………."

Don's eyes got wide and at the same time both agents turned to look at Charlie and Colby. The two men were standing together staring at a spot on the floor. Megan knelt down and put her fingers out toward the spot. She lifted her head, tilting it slightly as she looked at Colby. Don couldn't see her eyes or hear what she said, but suddenly Colby took a step back and shook his head.

When he saw Megan jump to her feet and grab a very startled looking Charlie by the shoulders, Don felt as if a cold hand had wrapped its fingers around his throat. But her question set his feet in motion, regardless of the pain shooting through his leg.

"Charlie? Where are you hit?"

Trying to pin point every sensation in his body even slightly resembling pain, Charlie glanced at the front of his shirt and looked up at her in confusion.  
"I….I…I wasn't?"

Don reached the huddle and glancing at the splatter of blood on the floor where Charlie had landed, he looked back at his brother's frightened face. It wasn't that much blood, but quantity was not always significant and a .22 caliber bullet might not have an exit wound…entry wounds didn't always bleed profusely…not right away.

Hell, Charlie might not even feel it yet. With this thought, Don stepped right in front of his brother.

"Charlie, does anything hurt?"

Without waiting for an answer, Don grabbed Charlie's jacket. As he yanked it from where it rested over his right shoulder, Colby grabbed the back of the coat and pulled it off his left arm.

Revealing the cast on Charlie's right arm in its entirety, Don stepped back. Glancing at Megan then back to his brother, he narrowed his eyes looking over his brother's body.

"Charlie?"  
"Don, I………"

Before Charlie got to finish his sentence, Colby stepped up behind him.  
"Don. Here."

Charlie's eyes got wide at Colby's words and he turned his head as if to look at the back of his right arm.  
"But…."

Before he knew what was happening, Don, Colby and Megan had moved him over to one of the couches and shoved the short sleeve of his shirt up over his shoulder.  
"Don't move, Charlie."

When Don grabbed the upper part of his cast, Charlie winced.  
"Sorry, Buddy. I just want to see……….."

Looking at the top of the cast, Don realized that if it were anyone else but Charlie and he hadn't been scared half out of his mind, he might have found this funny.

The bicep of the cast had a small hole just a few inches above Charlie's elbow where the bullet had entered. A slightly larger hole in the front of the cast showed the exit wound. From the angle of the entry and exit points, Don guessed that the bullet had passed directly through Charlie's arm beneath the cast. The blood on the floor had drained out of the hole in the back of the cast when he had been lying on his back.

The blood was beginning to saturate the interior lining of the cast and the crimson stain was starting to show around the end of the plaster at Charlie's hand. Terrified by the sight of his own blood, Charlie tried to careen his head around to see what his brother was looking at. Spotting the hole in the upper part of his cast and the pink tinge that the plaster around the hole was starting to take on, Charlie felt a rush of panic that made him feel simultaneously flushed and light headed.

"Don?"

Charlie's voice contained more than a hint of panic and Don moved back around the couch so he was in front of his brother. Seeing the blood that was now dripping from the end of the cast and the look of horror in Charlie's dark brown eyes, Don tried to keep his face as calm and impassive as possible.

"You'll be fine. Okay, Buddy?"

Two LAPD officers entered the front door and Megan pulled her badge from where it had been clipped to her pants and turned to go meet them.

"Hang in there, Charlie."

Raising her voice as she crossed the room, Megan held her badge high in the air.

"FBI, Agent Reeves. We're going to need a second ambulance here. We've got a man down."

………………………………

_Authors Notes: Sorry you had to wait! I got the chance to write a little over the weekend, but it's hard to look at white paper when the sun is shining that brightly! HA! Thanks for all of the notes of encouragement and sympathy! I survived the weekend and as it turns out my in-laws love me. I plan to post more later in the week! Hope this chapter was worth the wait!_

**Chapter Eighteen: Now Everybody Breathe**


	18. Now Everybody Breathe

**Chapter Eighteen: Now Everybody Breathe**

With Colby's help, Don leaned Charlie back on the couch and took a seat next to him. Charlie tried to sit up again, but Don pushed him back down.

"Just take it easy, Buddy. Help's on the way."

With Don's strong arm holding him down, Charlie had to force his body to relax. Just the idea of having been shot seemed to induce a certain degree of shock and now he could feel the warm fluid that had filled the interior lining of his cast. As it started dripping down his hand, Charlie had to force himself to keep his focus elsewhere. He was afraid to look again; for fear that the continuing sight of his own blood in mass quantity might make him pass out.

Besides, the pain was surprisingly minimal and Charlie tried to remain optimistic that the bleeding just looked worse than it was.

Lifting his eyes to his older brother, Charlie hoped to confirm that supposition, but he could see something unfamiliar behind Don's eyes and it terrified him.

For a moment, Charlie was certain that Don was more scared than he was. But then he blinked and the fearful big brother vanished, replaced with the iron nerved federal agent he was accustomed to seeing. Don stayed next to him and put his hand over the top of the cast as if he could somehow control the bleeding through sheer will.

"It really doesn't look to bad, Charlie. You'll be alright."

Looking uncharacteristically grey, Colby sat down on the coffee table across from the couch where Don had forced Charlie to recline.

He lifted his head to look apologetically at Don.

"I don't know how she got him, man. I was right there."

"Granger. You…."

Don started to reply but Charlie found his voice again and interrupted him.

He looked from Colby to Don and then back again.

"She had the gun right in my back. I don't know how………"

Charlie's face took on a slightly blank look and Don felt an onslaught of panic as he tried to remember where the brachial artery ran through the upper arm. If the blood was pooling in the cast, he could be in real trouble and they might not even know it. But as Charlie's eyes seemed to focus on nothing in particular, Don recognized the expression. He had gotten to the point where he could almost see numbers dancing around Charlie's head when he got that look on his face.

"What is it, Charlie?"

In his mind's eye Charlie could see an instant replay of the final seconds before Colby's shoulder impacted his arm. Running the steep angle of entry and an average bullet velocity through the super computer of his mind, Charlie quickly calculated an estimate of the bullet's final path once it had passed through his upper arm and two layers of the fiberglass cast that surrounded it.

"The trajectory of the bullet, Don. There's no way Colby could have….."

He suddenly stopped talking and his eyes widened as he turned his head to look at Agent Granger.

Colby was sitting on the coffee table leaning over slightly with his right hand resting up against his rib cage again. When he realized both brothers were staring at him, he sat up and shook his head.

"What?"

Don turned his head back toward the rest of his team. Megan was speaking with the LAPD officers while David attended to their wounded suspect, both anxiously waiting for the ambulance.

"Reeves! Sinclair!"

He looked back to Colby.

"Granger?"

Megan practically hurdled the back of the couch, immediately turning her attention to Charlie.

"Don, what is it?"

But when she saw that Charlie's eyes were turned to Colby, she followed his gaze.

Looking moderately embarrassed, Colby shook his head.

"It's not bad. I'm really fine. Don't worry about me."

Realizing what his words implied, Megan grabbed Colby by the lapel of his suit jacket.

"Don't be so macho, Granger. She get you?"

Lifting the edge of his jacket, Megan revealed a small patch of crimson across Colby's left side. She immediately began to peel off the coat.

"It's nothing, Reeves. I………"

"Why didn't you say anything, you idiot?"

Looking slightly bewildered by her reprimand, Colby shrugged his jacket off and turned his side to her obediently so she could look at the wound.

"Were you hit too?"

David was hurrying across the room towards them, a look of concern etched on his face.

Rolling his eyes and looking put out; Colby glanced down at his side.

"It's a scratch. I'm okay. Worry about him!"

Don had wrapped his hands around the upper part of Charlie's arm in an effort to slow the bleeding with indirect pressure. But the blood running down the inside of the cast felt like a centipede trailing its way down his arm and Charlie was doing everything he could _not _to focus on the fact that he had a hole in his arm that was still bleeding profusely.

Adding the new information concerning Colby's wound to his equation, Charlie recalculated his numbers. He'd used this equation multiple times to help Don find wayward slugs at crime scenes in the past and Charlie wanted to know exactly where this one had ended up.

"It should have hit the floor."

Turning their focus back to the resident genius, the other three agents looked confused, but Don leaned forward earnestly.

"What's that, Buddy?"

"At that angle……if the bullet didn't hit Colby…."

"It's just a graze, Charlie. He's okay."

"Well, then the bullet should be in the floor over next to the………."

Not being able to apply adequate pressure to the wound in Charlie's arm was making Don more nervous by the second and his abrupt pause was startling.

"Charlie? Buddy?"

Looking up at his older brother, not quite believing the results of his mental calculations, Charlie's face took on an expression of profound concern.  
"Are _you _okay?"

Don cocked his head to one side looking mystified by the question, so Charlie continued.  
"You were really limping and you're not supposed to be walking around without your crutches."

The sounds of more sirens outside the building signaled the arriving ambulance. Despite the ever increasing throb in his leg, Don pulled himself to his feet without relinquishing his hold on his brother's upper arm.

Charlie was sitting there bleeding and he was concerned about his broken leg. A smile slowly spread across Don's face, and he shook his head at his younger brother.  
"Its okay, Charlie. We'll worry about me later."

"But, Don…….."

Charlie's protest was cut off by David.

"Whoa!"

Don was startled when the younger agent grabbed him by the shoulder.

"You'd better sit back down, Eppes."

"What are you………."

Ignoring his protest, David lowered Don back to the couch next to Charlie.

"I think we found that missing slug."

Following David's eyes to the cast on his leg, Don's mouth fell open in shock. About four inches above his ankle, there was a pencil sized hole in the front of the cast. There didn't appear to be an exit hole and a small pool of blood had leaked out of the bottom of the cast around his foot.

Flopping back onto the couch next to his brother Don turned his head to look at Charlie in sheer disbelief.

"We not having a very good week, are we?"

………………………………

_Authors Notes: Have you ever been convinced that the world is out to get you? I think I've had a week like theirs once or twice. Just without the bullets and not as much blood. I sure hope I've still got everybody. Sorry about the delay, but I got a new boss this week and lunch breaks have been spent doing things besides eating lunch (and coming up with ideas). _

_And so it goes._

**Chapter Nineteen: You Never Step in the Same River Twice**


	19. You Never Step in the Same River Twice

**Chapter Nineteen: You Never Step in the Same River Twice**

The high pitched whine of a surgical buzz saw jerked Charlie out of his self-induced trance.

"Don't move, Mr. Eppes. We need to cut this cast off."

The standard set of polynomial equations he had been using to distract himself from the proceedings was quickly forgotten when Don let out a yelp from somewhere close by.

"My leg _is_ actually broken under that cast!"

Charlie tried to careen his neck around so he could see his older brother, but the lady with the buzz saw trained at the cast on his arm was standing in the way. The rush of medical personal around him was doing nothing to quell the panic Charlie had been trying so hard to contain and when she started up the saw again, Charlie felt a wave of nausea wash over him and he had to close his eyes.

"Charlie?"

Someone touched him on the shoulder and the saw turned off again.

"Hey! You need to lean back."

"Shut up. Charlie? You okay, Buddy?"

Opening one eye, Charlie could see Don struggling with a nurse who was trying to sit him back up. He had leaned over between the two trauma stretchers to get a better look at his brother.

"Agent Eppes…being in the same room with him isn't going to help if you don't lean back and let us do _our _jobs.

Don gave in to their demands, but kept his head turned and his eyes on his brother waiting for a response.

Charlie managed a weak smile.

"I'm okay, Don."

Don offered him an encouraging nod.

"Yeah, I've heard that somewhere before."

The saw started up again filling the room with its buzz. When the blade made contact with the cast on Charlie's arm, the volume of the buzz increased. The smell of heated fiberglass began to fill the room and in only seconds the woman holding the saw stepped back to let the medical crew take over.

Charlie felt a strange sensation as the cast fell away and air was allowed to flow across the limb. The release of pressure on the arm provided an increase in sensitivity. For Charlie that meant an increase in pain.

He wasn't going to look.

He really didn't intend to look.

But the feeling of cool air against wet skin on top of the thumping pain drew his eyes to the bicep of his right arm. Before the RN standing next to him could reapply pressure to the bullet hole, Charlie watched what looked like a bubble of blood rise up and run down his arm.

Don observed Charlie tilt his head to the side to look at his arm and he knew what was coming next. As Charlie's eyes grew wide, his face paled. He swallowed hard as if he were trying to keep from throwing up. Then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell backwards onto the stretcher.

"Damn it. Hey…..Charlie?"

The medical team pounced on him like a cat on string and Don struggled to sit up again. But the buzz saw wielding woman pushed him back down.

"He'll be fine, Agent. He just passed out."

"Fine?"

Don gapped at her, allowing his concern for Charlie to morph into anger.

"You call that fine? He was just held hostage and shot!"

As the ER doctor who was standing next to Charlie began to wheel him out of the room, Don reached out and grabbed the back of the man's white coat.

He turned back to Don and allowed the two nurses to go on without him.

"We're taking him down to x-ray. The bleeding is under control, it was a clean shot. We just need to make sure the bullet didn't hit the bone. You're next, so don't go anywhere."

Not finding any humor in the man's comments, Don turned back to the nurse still standing by his side and shook his head at her.

"They have to make sure the bullet didn't hit the bone. I don't think that qualifies as 'fine'."

Ignoring his hostility, the nurse moved down to the cast on his leg. When the buzz of the rotating blade ceased, Don drew a sharp breath as the cast was pulled apart sending pain shooting up his ankle. Choosing not to stare at the bloody interior of the plaster, Don turned his head back toward the door.

"Oh my God."

The nurse's exclamation made Don whip his head around. Half expecting to find blood shooting into the air like a fountain, he was shocked to see the woman ginning at him.

"I'm sorry, Agent. I wasn't expecting to find this in there."

She extended her hand and Don put his out to take whatever she was offering. The woman dropped a small solid piece of metal in his hand and Don almost dropped it.

"Wow."

The man in the white lab coat returned and proceeded to examine the wound on his leg, while Don stared at the .22 caliber slug the nurse had handed him.

The bullet was a prefect miniature projectile. It had barely even mushroomed. So small……..but in the hands of a lunatic……it could have killed them both.

When the doctor stepped back and pulled his gloves off, Don lifted his head and stared at him expectantly.

"Well?"

"Like I said, we're sending you down to x-ray to reassess the original break since it looks like you tried to run in a marathon today. But it's just a flesh wound, Agent Eppes. We'll have you bandaged up in no time."

Don tilted his head towards the door.

"What about him? What about Charlie?"

The doctor was not oblivious to the change in Don's voice and he looked at the chart in his hand.

"Eppes, huh? I noticed that earlier. I'm assuming he's your brother?"

Don nodded cautiously. Even though he knew Charlie was going to be fine, he needed to hear the doctor say it.

"There's not much damage. From the looks of things it was shot point blank into the back of the cast. Am I correct?"

Again Don nodded mutely and the doctor continued.

"It looks like the cast slowed the bullet down considerably, by the time it got to you; it didn't have the velocity to pass through the back of your cast as well."

Don clenched his fist around the small slug in his hand.

"Lucky for me."

The doctor didn't miss Don's cynicism, and he nodded his head as he continued his explanation.

"Yes. It actually was. Lucky for Charlie, too. The point blank range kept the bullet from expanding rapidly and it went through clean. Looks like it missed the bone by less than an eighth of an inch. But I wanted the x-ray to be sure."

Pausing to glance at the two discarded casts, the doctor looked at Don and smiled sympathetically.

"You two are not having a good week, are you?"

Don sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"You have no idea, Doc. You really have no idea."

Heading for the door, the doctor glanced over his shoulder at Don.

"I'll send someone in to take you down to x-ray, so……."

Don cut him off.

"…don't go anywhere. Right?"

"Right."

As the doctor walked out the door, David walked in.

"Don. How's Charlie doing?"

Glad to see a familiar face, Don smiled warily.

"He's gonna be alright. The doctor says he got lucky."

"And you?"

"I'm next."

Don shook his head dismissively.

"It's relatively superficial. How's Granger?"

David widened his eyes and exhaled dramatically.

"Didn't even need stitches, Don. It really was just a scratch."

Don nodded his head, acknowledging how fortunate Colby had been.

"Good. What about Tabitha Karney?"

"She's a few doors down. The shots were clean from both angles. I left a man in the room with her and one at the door….just in case, but I don't think she's going anywhere."

Don nodded and heaved a deep sigh.

"Damn….that was close."

"Yeah. It was."

David hesitated. As he continued, he looked apprehensively at Don.

"There's something else too. I just got a statement from Mrs. Whitney."

"They're here?"

"Yeah, a guest at the party fainted……hit her head. I think maybe a relative? But the agent we left at the scene didn't get a statement from the family before they came here and I told him I'd take care of it."

"Yeah? Why is that a problem?"

"It's not, I just…I though you might like to know what she said."

"Okay?"

"According to Allison Whitney, your brother is 'the bravest man on the face of the planet'. And I'm quoting her on that."

"Charlie?"

David was trying not to smile as he nodded enthusiastically.

"You won't believe it. I made her tell me twice just to be sure I got the whole thing."

"I'll only make you tell me once. What they hell happened up there, David?"

As David repeated word for word what Allison Whitney had told him about Charlie's action on the penthouse roof, Don's eyes grew wider and wider until he finally put up his hand for David to stop.

"You're telling me that Charlie provoked her into taking him hostage?"

"To get her away from those kids, yeah. Mrs. Whitney said it all happened pretty fast, but Charlie stepped up to the plate…convinced Tabitha that she didn't want Robert to see her like that. He almost literally led her to the elevator. But then when the little girl walked in, she panicked. And that's when we showed up."

Don felt his heart constrict with an emotion that had been weighing on him for several days. He wasn't certain how to describe it, but it left him stuck in a conflict with what he had always expected from his younger brother and what David had just told him.

"I just can't believe Charlie would do that."

David chose not to reply, but instead nodded his head in agreement.

"Man, David. Surely he realized that he could have been killed."

"Yeah, Don. I'm pretty sure he did."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Charlie opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that his arm was, once again, encased in a florescent fiberglass cast. Only this time, the cast did not reach his elbow. A massive bandage covered the upper portion of his right arm.

"Welcome back."

Shaking his head to slough off the confusion, Charlie turned to where his older brother was sitting nearby.

"What….what happened?"

"You got shot."

Charlie lifted his hand to his upper arm.

"I remember that part."

"_Then _you passed out."

Mistaking Don's inflection, Charlie shook his head and looked embarrassed.

"Sorry. I………"

But Don didn't allow him to finish.

"For what? Getting shot, or passing out?"

"Either. Or, or both. For whatever is causing you to make that face."

Don's posture relaxed a little as did his staunch facial expression. He shook his head at his brother.

"What you did, Charlie……………."

"Was stupid…yeah, I know."

"Let me finish, Charlie….God. Do you really think I'm going to ream you

out for getting shot?"

Looking confused, Charlie shook his head.

"Yes?"

"Ah, good. You're both here."

The doctor had waltzed back into the room.

"Charlie, I'm sure your brother told you, there was no damage to the bone in your upper arm. We needed to keep a cast on the stress fracture in your wrist, but the original break was minimal enough that we could get away with keeping the upper arm exposed for cleaning. You will have to keep the whole arm immobilized regardless."

He paused as if waiting for Charlie to respond, but did not give him the chance.

"They'll give you a sheet for instructions as to cleaning and dressing the wound and I've given you a script for some pain killers as well as an antibiotic. You should both take it easy for a while. And try not to get shot again."

Neither Don nor Charlie so much as smiled at the doctor's good humor and he shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Well, if you don't have any questions, we're done here. "

As the doctor finished talking David entered the room behind him.

"Charlie. Don. If you guys are ready, I'll drop you off at the house. Megan said she and Larry would go pick up your car later, Charlie."

Charlie nodded mutely still looking gloomily at Don. He had expected Don to be upset, but he was having a hard time reading the guarded expression on his older brother's face as Don turned to address David.

"Thanks. Come on, Charlie. Let's go home. We can talk about this later."

Charlie didn't argue with that. A lecture on his own stupidity wasn't high on his list of things to do at the moment. The pain medication that they had given through his IV shortly after his arrival in the ER had dulled his senses quite a bit, though it had surprisingly little effect on the pain that the bullet wound had caused and Charlie just wanted to go home and forget the whole thing had ever happened. Besides, if Don where to ask him what he'd been thinking, Charlie wasn't really sure he would be able to tell him.

Up there on that penthouse roof, for the first time in his life, thinking wasn't something he'd had time for.

…………………………………………………………

Authors Notes: Big thanks to Alice I for her help with these last few Chapters! I tend to stumble over my endings and her assistance had proven invaluable. Thanks!

**Chapter Twenty: Everything Leads Back to the Ocean **


	20. Everything Leads Back to the Ocean

**_Authors Notes: Thanks to all of you for the steady stream of feedback and reviews! I love writing these stories and it thrills me to no end that you all enjoy them so much! _**

**_BIG Announcement: I have joined forces with Alice I to tackle a plot bunny she has had in storage for a while now. We've dusted it off and are calling it Child of my Heart. _**

**_It will be an emotional rollercoaster ride in the life of Charlie Eppes_. _It is a companion piece to Alice's short story Friendship Isn't Charity. So you should read that first!_**

**_We have set up a special account to post our joint projects (of which we hope there will be many)._**

**_So look for us under the pen name _2headsRbetter.**

**_We hope to start posting soon! _**

**Enjoy this final chapter and please take the time to leave your comments! **

**Chapter Twenty: Everything Leads Back to the Ocean **

When Charlie descended the stairs, Don was sitting on the couch with his leg propped up on the coffee table. He had changed into a pair of navy blue sweatpants that covered the new cast that had been put on over the pressure bandage on his leg; while Charlie had just spent the last twenty minutes getting a long sleeved shirt over his cast and bandage and then re-immobilizing his arm in the sling.

Don was leaning back, staring at the ceiling and fighting the synthetic fatigue brought on by the pain killers he had been given, when Charlie sat down across from him in the brown recliner. Lifting his eyes to glance at his brother, Charlie decided to speak first but Don opened his mouth at the same time.

"Don."

"Charlie."

Charlie looked down and sighed.

"You go first."

Don pulled himself into an upright position.

"Charlie, we need to talk about what happened today. David got a pretty detailed statement from Mrs. Whitney and he told me…………."

"Don, before you go any further, let me try to elucidate the situation. I know that what I did was imprudent and I put my own life in jeopardy; but I just couldn't see any other way to get that woman away from the Whitney girls. She was so unstable; you could see it in her eyes. I just……..when she pointed the gun at those girls…"

"Charlie!"

Don tried to interrupt.

Averting his eyes to the floor, Charlie continued his ramble.

"No, Don. Really, I'm sorry. I just didn't know what else to do. The woman was out of her mind and she……..."

In an almost hushed voice, Don cut him off.

"I'm not angry at you, Charlie."

That soft-spoken statement stopped Charlie dead in his tracks and he looked up at his older brother. Don was good at hiding what was really going on behind his eyes and Charlie was surprised by the open manifestation of emotion on his face. It was almost the same expression he had worn earlier that afternoon, only far more intense.

"What you did up there took a lot of guts, Charlie. I don't know very many people who would put themselves in the path of a bullet to save someone else."

Charlie started to interrupt.

"Colby……….."

"Is a trained agent, Charlie."

"He saved my life."

"Yeah, I know. And I'm not going to forget that. But it's his job. And we're talking about you. Normal people don't do that, Charlie."

Charlie couldn't hide a smirk.

"And I'm a normal person?"

Don allowed himself a small smile.

"Yes….except for that whole genius thing. Still, I've always considered you to be pretty average otherwise."

The joviality vanished as he continued.

"Seriously, you acted like a seasoned agent up there, Charlie. You did exactly what I would have done had I been there with you. You kept Tabitha's focus on you so that the children could get out of the line of fire. You talked her into leaving the penthouse. The only reason Hannah got involved at all was just bad timing, but you even handled that well."

Charlie could hardly believe his ears. He hadn't really expected Don to be infuriated with him. He had been shot after all. But Charlie didn't expect this. He was even more shocked when Don continued his prolonged speech.

"I'll admit when I saw you coming out of that elevator, I had a hard time staying focused on the situation. I guess I expected you to panic. I expected you to be terrified and all I could think of was getting you away from Tabitha Karney in one piece."

Deciding to interject, Charlie sat forward on the recliner.

"Don, I didn't.……."

Don continued speaking in spite of Charlie's attempted interruption.

"**_But _**you didn't panic, Charlie. You immediately looked to me for instruction and you followed my lead without reservation. That's what I'd expect from one of my agents, but not from a civilian and certainly not from you. It took the kind of courage that's hard to find in even the best of agents to do what you did. You moved the child so that she was out of the line of fire; you refused to move forward even with a gun pointed at your back. You got the child safely away from danger regardless of the danger to yourself and you stayed calm."

This time when Don paused to take a deep breath, Charlie didn't try to interrupt.

"Charlie, I don't say this often enough and I'm sorry for that. But I'm proud of you. You were better than great; you were perfect. If anyone else had been taken hostage with that child, I expect the outcome would have been far worse."

As he finished his speech, Don smiled to himself and shook his head slightly. Charlie narrowed his eyes and gave him an inquisitive look.

"What is it, Don?"

"Nothing, Charlie. I was just wondering when you stopped being my kid brother and started being the one I could count on in a crisis."

Charlie couldn't help the blush that crept up his face. He would have uttered an 'Aww Shucks' if it wouldn't have sounded utterly ridiculous, so instead he allowed a self-conscious smile to cover his face.

"I just can't believe that she got us both with one shot."

"Yeah, what do you figure the odds are on that happening after she nearly drowned both of us?"

As Charlie's eyes took on that far away look that they got when he was calculation something in his head, Don laughed.

"Never mind. I don't think I want to know the answer to that question."

"No, Don. You really don't."

"I'm sorry I underestimated you, Charlie. I always thought we were cut from different molds….I guess we're a lot more alike than I thought."

"Don't let Dad hear you say that."

At the mention of their father, Don and Charlie both froze and stared at each other.

"Oh my God, Don. What are we going to tell Dad?"

Don's eyes searched the air around him as if looking for an acceptable answer. When he didn't come up with one, Charlie raised one eyebrow at him.

"Maybe we shouldn't."

The two men looked at each other and then at their new casts.

"Uh…I think he's gonna notice this, Charlie."

"Okay, then I'll let you tell him."

Don tugged the leg of his sweat pants down around the new cast on his lower leg.

"You're right, Charlie. Not a word to Dad. Maybe he won't notice these are new."

"Well, Don. Seeing as the symbol for Pi that Larry put on Charlie's cast two days ago is conspicuously absent, yeah. I think your old man just might figure it out."

Don and Charlie whipped their heads around to see their father standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room with his arms folded across his chest.

"Uh, Dad! Um…how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know I owe Agent Granger a debt of gratitude and that I'm not going to make any more efforts to fill your social calendar."

When both of his sons continued to stare at him without responding, Alan circled around the couch and sat down next to Don.

"You really weren't going to tell me?"

"Dad…I just didn't think……………."

Alan shook his head, looking dismayed.  
"That's right, Don. You didn't."

"Dad…….."

Turning to his youngest son, Alan tilted his head at him. His voice held an air of authority that the two brothers had heard quite often when they were children.

"Charlie. Is there anything else you two have kept from me?"

"Dad…….."

"Well?"

Their father's influence was still as effective as it had always been, and a list of events that he had chosen to never reveal to his father began running through Charlie's mind. Still, he managed to shake his head in denial.

"No. Dad. It's not like that. We just don't like to worry you."

Don backed him up by putting his hand on his father's back.

"And we're both okay. Really."

"You were shot, Donnie. Charlie was shot. That is not 'okay'. This is not

okay."

Turning to face his oldest son, Alan's voice took on a softer tone.

"You do worry me, Donnie. After what happened last year with that serial killer, I think I have the right to worry."

"Dad, my job….."

"I know your job is dangerous and I've accepted that. But I wasn't counting on Charlie following this closely in your footsteps."

Charlie quickly interjected to defend himself.

"The lady had a gun………"

"Charlie, the details of what happened up in that penthouse is not what is important. The fact that you were both going to try to hide it from me is."

Alan pulled himself to his feet.

"I know it was dangerous, I know you could have been killed. I also know you did the right thing. And you're here now and you're safe.

Heading around the couch, Alan stopped and turned back to look at his sons.

"And I'm very proud of both of you."

The three men exchanged glances and then Alan broke the silence.

"So let's not dwell on what might have happened and be thankful for what didn't."

Turning quickly, Alan headed into the kitchen.

"I don't know about you two but I'm starving."

Don and Charlie both stared after him as he disappeared through the red swinging door.

When they heard the tell-tale sounds of their father preparing a meal, Charlie turned to Don.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what I was expecting."

"No, me neither."

"You know? He does have a point, Don. He didn't have a heart attack when your office got shot up. And when you were injured by Chandler Yates, he was calmer than I was. Maybe we should tell him what really happened at Banatec Towers."

Don raised he eyebrows at his younger brother.

"With the sniper?"

Charlie and Don stared at each other for a moment, they looked at the kitchen door and then back at each other. Both men spoke simultaneously and shook their heads.

"No."

Smiling widely, Don hoisted himself up from the couch.

"So, are you gonna give me hand with these crutches or what?"

THE END

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